


Pumps Through Your Veins (can you feel it?)

by Waynesgrayson



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Explicit Language, Fluff, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Kid!Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 15:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5790775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waynesgrayson/pseuds/Waynesgrayson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt is the perfect guy. Charming, funny, smart, and absolutely amazing with Foggy's four year old son, Noah. Foggy certainly wasn't expecting their first meeting to lead to this, but he isn't complaining either. With Matt, he's happy, and giddy, and everything feels as it should.</p><p>But is Matt really all he claims to be? A secret and bruised and battered skin leaves Foggy with a very pressing question that needs answering. Should he run and protect his son from the dangers that surround the man, or will he stay and risk it all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pumps Through Your Veins (can you feel it?)

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what this is. It's a complete 180 from what I usually do.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Title taken from: Laura Palmer by Bastille

“I'm not worried.” Foggy says once again, exasperated. Yet he knows he's not fooling himself or Karen who is on the line with him. He slumps back in his chair and takes a sip of his coffee as Karen laughs in his ear, the sound joyful and mocking.

“You are!” Karen laughs, “You're acting like the world is ending when it's only just kindergarten.”

“Only just kindergarten?” Foggy repeats back, unable to believe she just said that to him. “You say that, but next thing I know he'll be hanging out at the mall instead of with me, and sitting in parked cars with strangers, and saying things I'll have to Google just so I can converse with him!”

The thing is though, is that he knows he's over-reacting. That it is just kindergarten and that the scariest thing Noah will be doing is learning how to count past ten. But he can't help it, can't control the urge to race back to the school and hold onto him for just a little bit longer. He feels rather hopeless and out of his depth and the fact that Karen has snorted from laughing so hard isn't helping or making him feel any better about his feelings.

“You're not helping, you know.” he grumbles, and he knows she's trying to control her laughter but is having a difficult time doing so. It takes a few moments of her trying to contain her joy, and few hums and another snort before she's finally calm enough.

“You're ridiculous, you know that, right?”  
Foggy sighs. “Yeah,” he admits, “I just can't help it. I get that he's only four, but I feel like if I blink he'll magically be fourteen and asking for money.”

“Rest assured that fourteen is a lengthy ten years away, and besides, he'll probably go to his mom for money.”

Foggy has to hold back another sigh. Normally, he doesn't think about it, but with today being Noah's first day of school and him feeling all too old for someone who just turned twenty-four, he finds their little story flashing through his mind in fragments and pictures.

“Yeah, you're right.”

“Oh, no,” Karen says in a voice that says she's knows she didn't make him feel better, but worse, “I didn't mean to make you sad, I was trying to do the opposite of that!”

“I know, I'm just a mess right now. It's not your fault.”

“It's only for a few more hours, then you can go and get him.”

Foggy sighs and even he can admit that it's dramatic and over the top and that he's on the edge of being considered annoying.

“Oh my god,” Karen huffs, “just go home. I think if you put some distance between the two of you, it'll curb the mama bear urges you have.”

Foggy wants to argue and say she's wrong, but she's so right he thinks he might burst with how much he wants to go see his son. So, with a sigh he stands up and grabs his coffee off the table and turns to walk out of the shop, words forming on his lips as he means to respond to her little jab.

Instead, however, he turns and bumps straight into another person, sending them both back a few steps, and their coffees to the floor. He let's out a startled, “holy-!” before closing his phone and pocketing it, not bothering to answer Karen's questions of concern he barely hears before he hangs up – he'll call and apologize later.

“Oh my god, I am so, so sorry.” He says, more to the spilt coffee than the person he bumped into, but the intentions are there. He can feel the heat of embarrassment creep up on his cheeks, neck, and chest, and his heart is pounding against his rib cage from the attention they're now receiving from the other people in the shop. He can feel the gross feeling that fills his stomach at the thought that some poor underpaid kid is going to have to clean up his mess, all because he wasn't paying attention.

“It's all right, I wasn't paying much attention either.” a voice says, and Foggy can only assume that it's the person he bumped into. He looks up, another apology on his lips, when his words are forced back into his mouth at the sight of dark red lenses and a silver cane strapped to the mans wrist.

Of-fucking-course.

“Oh my god,” Foggy may as well have whimpered out the words. He just bumped into and ruined the coffee of a blind man, who is smiling at him like this is no inconvenience to himself and just made a joke of the situation and his disability all in one breath. He feels like the biggest ass on the planet. “I'm so sorry.”

“I know,” the mans says, and Foggy can feel the embarrassment heat up his skin more. He bites down on his lower lip, unsure of what else he can say to make this better, but oddly enough the mans bright smile reassures him all his well. “But I'm afraid that's not going to change the fate of our coffees.”

They move out of the way for the employee that makes her way between them. Foggy gives her an apology and she smiles at him and tells him that it's not big deal, though he knows it is. He worked the same job she does for years – he knows he'll just be a story of annoyance she tells people for the rest of her life.

He turns to the man, now standing beside him. “Let me buy you a new coffee, it's the least I can do.”

The man opens his mouth, but instead of words Foggy gets a soft laugh as his answer. The man holds out his arm and Foggy wonders for a split second if he's suppose to grab onto it – because really, shouldn't it be the other way around? - but he thinks he'd be being rude if he didn't so something. So, he grabs the mans arm, carefully, and when the man lips twitch and he doesn't say anything, Foggy assumes he did the right thing.

The man orders a black coffee with one sugar and Foggy's not surprised, he looks like a black coffee kind of guy – not that Foggy's been sneaking glaces at him out of the corner of his eye. He himself orders one with two cream and two sugar and soon the whole process is done and they're stepping outside into the cool September breeze.

“I'm sorry again about your coffee.” Foggy says as he let's go of the mans arm. He watches the man grab onto his cane, the top part sliding into the hand of the arm Foggy was just holding onto.

“Don't worry about it, honestly. It happens.” The man says with a smile that makes Foggy want to believe him, but he's pretty sure he's made the man late for something important - if the suit is anything to go by – he just thanks whatever is out there that he didn't spill any on the man himself.

“Well...I'll let you get back to life, I guess.” He says a bit awkwardly, unsure of how to walk away. He goes to turn when the man steps forward, his eyebrows raised and mouth open.

Foggy stops and looks at him, his eyebrows raised in question. They stand like that for a split second before Foggy realizes the man needs verbal cues. “Yeah?” he asks.

“I just -” the man says, suddenly looking nothing like the cool and put together stranger he nearly doused in hot coffee, but bashful and shy. “I was just wondering if I could get your name.” It comes out more like a question, but it doesn't stop Foggy from flushing again. He looks down at the ground while he tries to process the request. He weighs any pros and cons in his head quickly before coming to the conclusion that see doesn't really see why not.

“Foggy.” he says, not supplying his last name on purpose. What's the point in stressing Stranger Danger to Noah if he doesn't take the same precautions?

The man raises an eyebrow and his grin slowly comes back. “Foggy?”

“It's a nickname, but it's what I go by.” Foggy explains quickly, ignoring yet another flash of heat across his cheeks.

The man chuckles. “I like it. Mine's Matt.”

“Well, it's nice to meet you, Matt.” Foggy doesn't mean for him to say the mans name like that, adding on emphasis when there's no reason to other than to make things even more awkward for no reason. But Matt doesn't say anything about it, he just smiles that smile of his, a peek of tongue between his teeth as he does.

“Likewise, Foggy.”

Before any awkwardness can surround them and make this ending unpleasant in anyway, Foggy offers another goodbye, one that Matt takes this time, and they both go their separate ways. A few steps into his walk to the car, however, Foggy finds himself turning around to watch Matt leave.

As he watches the man manoeuvre his way down the street with a surprising grace, he pulls out his phone and dials Karen, unsure of what he's going to give her – an apology...or a story.

\--

Noah gets out of school at 3:45 in the afternoon, and Foggy won't admit it, but he's been in the parking lot since 2:30, waiting nervously as the minutes ticked by in agonizingly slow seconds. He tried being at home; watching movies, cleaning the apartment, baking - reading, even. But nothing could fully take his mind off of the fact that Noah was gone. The apartment was quiet, and after he was done with it, clean and organized and nothing like it had looked this morning with toys and clothes everywhere, as well as the dirty dishes that came with preparing lunch and eating breakfast.

So, when two o'clock rolled around and he had nothing else to keep him occupied, he left. Got into his car and drove in the direction of the school. He managed to lengthen the drive, choosing to drive around the neighbourhood and get a better sense of the area around where his son would be five days out of the week.

There was nothing to worry about. A few shops; coffee, bakery, sporting and a tattoo parlour. He's pretty sure he doesn't have to worry about that last one for a little while. There's a public park about a two minute drive from the school with a modest looking play ground and fountain. He had thought about killing time there, sitting on a bench and watching birds and squirrels, but decided he wasn't going to put himself through that.

So here he is, waiting like the mama bear Karen accused him of being hours ago.

He startles when the bells rings, and gets out of his car in time to watch the school doors swing open and for the hoard for children to come running out to freedom. He waits for a few minutes, allowing the hoard to thin before he makes his way inside the school and to where Noah's classroom is.

When he gets there, there are a few students in the room and he stops when he sees Noah standing in front of a kneeling woman - who Foggy remembers waving at this morning. He's talking to her with wide, excited eyes, and with hand gestures that has the woman looking at him with barely concealed amusement.

When Noah looks up and spots him leaning against the door frame, he perks up even more and runs over to him. “Papa!” he yells with a smile on his face, and Foggy bends down to grab Noah and lift him up into a hug.

“Hiya, buddy!” he says and swings Noah around a bit, smiling at the laughter it elicits. After a moment he puts Noah down, and can't stop smiling as his son looks at him with wide, shiny eyes – his mothers, of course.

“Papa! Guess what we did today!” Noah says excitedly, not even waiting for a response before launching into a long monologue about his day. Foggy listens with an open fondness and amusement, and even manages to sneak a glance at his teacher, and he and the woman share a smile before he turns back to Noah. He ruffles his hair.

“That's awesome, buddy! So, you had a good day then?”

“Yes!” Noah jumps, nodding.

“All right! How about you get your things while I talk to your teacher, okay?”

Noah nods at him before skipping out of the room and into the hall-way where his things are kept. Foggy watches him until he disappears around a comer before turning to look at the woman who can only be his teacher,

“Miss. Temple” the woman introduces herself with a smile as Foggy approached, and she extends a hand towards him. He takes it and returns her smile. “Foggy Nelson.”

When they break away, Foggy let's out a breath. “So, how was he today?”

“Pretty good, actually.” she nods before walking behind her desk and sitting down. “Most kids have a hard time during the first week or so. The change and adaption makes them anxious and they tend to lash out or cry – which is natural and to be expected. But Noah was among the few who seemed fine.”

Foggy let's out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god. I have been worrying all day about this. I almost came back just to make sure everything was all right, several times.”

Miss. Temple nods. “Many parents feel that way, but it'll become easier for the both of you, I promise. If you want, to help ease you both into this, I can write about anything that happens in his agenda. That way you're informed about his day and don't have to worry.”

“That would actually be perfect actually. His baby sitter, Danielle, will be picking him up most days, so this would be really helpful. Thank you.”

\--

If someone had told Foggy that he was going to become a father at the terrifyingly young age of 19, he may have lived his life a tad bit differently - and made smarter life choices. Of course, now that Noah is in his life, Foggy wouldn't change a damn thing - even if it was the scariest eight and a half months of his life.

He had meet Marci during the summer before he went off to culinary school. It was a summer fling mostly. He had his prospects and she had her eyes on law school.

They worked. There was nothing weird about it. Neither were looking for a real relationship; both content with it just being sex and an oddly formed friendship that no one understood. When it wasn't about sex, Marci was the best one to go to for advice and to just talk to. It may have been the already blazing fire in her, but she had a no bullshit and take charge attitude with a soft heart that made her the perfect person to go to when you wanted some sense knocked into you, but delivered it with a reassuring hand on the shoulder.

They balanced, and Foggy never thought he would find one of his best friends in a reoccurring one night stand.

But then he got the call during the third week of school, and Foggy thought for sure that their lives were over.

But they made it work.

Marci wasn’t about to let it all go, and Foggy, while he didn't say anything, felt the same way. So, along with the already demanding stress of school, he found two jobs. One was with the College's catering staff and the other was at a coffee shop around the corner.

It was all he could do to help pay for everything Marci would need during the next nine month she was going to pregnant, granted she had reminded him several times that their parents (thank whatever is out there that those conversation went way better than they thought) where there with their support, but Foggy wasn't about to slack off when needed most.

It was during those months that he realized just how strong and determined she was. Don't get him wrong, he always knew, since the second they had met it was obvious that Marci Stahl was loaded gun waiting to be fired. But seeing her day in and day out, getting to school, studying, fighting to prove that she's there for a reason, all the while battling morning sickness and dizzy spells and feeling like her insides were trying to get out, and the talks behind her back that she was 19 and pregnant and should be on a reality show and not in law school...he still wonders what he did to deserve her.

He can't say that they made smart choices, and he definitely does not want Noah following in their footsteps...but now he's lucky. He has a son he loves more than he thought it possible to love another human being, and a the iron clad friendship and support of the woman who gave him Noah in the first place. There isn't a day that goes by that he's not grateful for Marci deciding to carry Noah to term.

He can say with honesty that he has never been in love with her, but he truly loves her with all he has.

And maybe that's why this works so well. She has her job with the prestigious Landman and Zack, and he works in a small but highly praised bakery which he absolutely adores. He has Noah during the week since she's busy doing super important lawyer work, and on the weekends she takes him for some much needed mother-son time. And when she can, she comes over for dinner and games.

Part of him worries that this will damage Noah in some way. That with him having parents who were never really together and don't live together, will hurt him growing up. But Foggy knows he'll always be loved and treated right by him, by Marci and by Auntie Karen.

So he doesn't worry.

\--

“Put Noah on the phone, Mama wants to talk to him about his first day.” Is what's said to him when he answers the phone that evening while making dinner.  
“Well, hello to you, too, dear.” Foggy says mockingly as he turns around and heads out of the kitchen and to the living room where Noah is playing.

Marci scoffs, but Foggy knows there's no heat in it, and indulges him. “Hello, Foggy. How was your day.”

Foggy laughs at the sarcasm in her voice, and decides to tell her, just to piss her off a bit. “I requested the day off for this, and then realized it was huge mistake because I spent the entire time worrying about his first day.”

Marci huffs out a laugh. “Smart move, dumb-ass. But to be honest, I wasn't much better. It felt like I was back in high school I was checking my phone so often. Oh, and thank you for the pictures, by the way, he looked so cute this morning. I wish I had been there.” she softly says the last part and Foggy feels himself soften at that, too. He had dressed Noah in one of the outfits she had bought for him for school. Jeans and a cute red plaid shirt that Noah had loved as soon as she showed it to him. Pair that with his chubby cheeks and toothless grin and he was the cutest kid he'd ever seen in his life.

He knows it's hard on her. That she wants to see him more and be there for these things, but her job is so demanding she's lucky she gets to see him on the weekends. So she calls every night to hear about his day, even if he did absolutely nothing. Foggy wants to assure her that she's doing the best she can and that if she ever wants to take Noah for the week or evening or to even stay with them, she's free to do so. But they don't really talk about it. Foggy thinks it's because it's too hard for her emotionally, so he doesn't press.

“Yeah, he's adorable. We made a cute ass kid.”

“We did. Now put him on the damn phone.”

Foggy walks into the living room to find Noah playing on the floor, Star Wars action figures scattered around him and a Storm-Trooper and Jedi in his hands. He's tempted to just watch him for a moment, but knows Marci will chew his ear off if he doesn't let her speak to her son.

“Buddy.” he calls, and Noah's head whips around to look at him. When he waves the phone, Noah drops his toys and scrambles up off the ground and runs over with a smile on his face.

“Mama!” he all but sheiks into the receiver, and when Foggy hears Marci's excited and babied up tone she only ever uses for Noah, he takes that as his cue and heads back to the kitchen.

\--

The bakery is always crowed from the time it opens up 'til around three in the afternoon. The shop itself doesn't close until four o'clock, but the quiet hour is perfect enough opportunity to get a head start on cleaning and packaging up any left over baked goods to be taken down the to the local soup kitchen for their dinner rush.

It's also the perfect time to unwind and chill and talk over coffee about things Foggy would rather not talk about.

“I don't understand.” Karen says around a mouthful of double chocolate scone. “You brought him up to me, and now you don't want to talk about it.”

Foggy picks at his uniform shirt, pointedly not looking at Karen as he scratches at the batter stains from today's work. “It was just a thing, you know?” he shrugs. “We bumped into each other, I bought him a new coffee, we exchanged names. There's nothing else to talk about.”

“Yes,” Karen says with a twinkle in her eyes, pointing a finger at Foggy, “there is, because if he wasn't so important or worthy of talking about, you wouldn't have brought him up in the first place. So obviously this guy as made an impression on you and you're just being stubborn.”

Foggy thinks about denying it. About rolling his eyes and telling her that the only reason he brought him up was because he was embarrassed about what had happened, and needed to talk to someone about it. Not because the man was cute and had a nice smile and a perfect ass.

“Okay, so he was handsome!” he caves and tries to ignore the way Karen's face lights up with an excited smile and how she bounces in her chair. “And totally out of my league.”

Karen's smile disappears and a frown replaces it. “Hey, don't say that. You're a catch.”

Foggy sighs dramatically. “Karen, you didn't see this guy. Tall, fit, handsome, and the most charming fucker I have ever met in my life. The only thing I had going for me was the fact that he's blind and couldn't see all this.” he gestures to himself.

He's met with Karen's glare and an eyebrow raised in challenge. “Keep talking smack and I'll call Marci.”

This time Foggy does roll his eyes. “You can't threaten to call her every time I degrade myself.”

“I can and I will, because clearly what I tell you isn't getting anywhere. And if there is anyone who can smack some sense into you, it's her.”

Foggy shakes his head and Karen nods her head. “It's true! I can tell you you're an amazing guy and a catch and that anyone would be lucky to score you – it's in one ear and out the other. But when she tells you you're making notes, listening to every word like it's gospel. I don't know if it's because you both have a kid or if it's because you're whipped.”

Foggy glares at her. “Even if that's true – which I don't believe, and I'm not whipped - most people are turned off once they learn I have a son.”

“Well, you wouldn't want those people around anyway.” Karen reminds him as she takes a sip of her coffee.

“I know, and I don't.” Foggy says, thinking back to when Marci had gone on a date with a man about a year after Noah was born. Things were going great, she had told him, until she told the man she was seeing that she had a baby boy, leading to the man saying some not nice things about kids. When she explained to Foggy what she had done to the poor soul – it still makes Foggy shake with laughter.

“Noah is my priority, always has been and always will be...but...” he trails off, unsure of how to say what he's thinking without it coming out as horribly pathetic. He takes in a deep breath, and lets it out in a sigh. “Sometimes I can't help but think about being in a relationship, you know?”

Karen nods in understanding before flashing him a grin, “Maybe you and Marci should try again.” she waggles her eyebrows to get her point across.

“Smart-ass.” Foggy says as he throws a balled up napkin at her. She laughs and licks chocolate off her index finger.

“I'm kidding! But really, Foggy, maybe this coffee shop hunk is the one. You never know.”

Foggy sighs and checks his watch. They have fifteen minutes before he's to go help clean the kitchen.

“There's no point in thinking about it. We only exchanged names, not numbers, which is probably for the best.”

“What is his name, by the way?”

“Matt.”

“Matt? Well that's generic and hard to pinpoint on Facebook.”

“Tell me about it.” he mutters, and when Karen gives him a look paired with a raised eyebrow, he says, “No, I didn't look him up and no, I don't plan to! Don't look at me like that.”

“But you've totally thought about it, right?”

“Might have.”

“So you are interested.”

“Don't you have some article to write about dying puppies or the cities vigilante?” Foggy snaps, but it only causes Karen to grin at his attempt to change the conversation. He's grateful when she let's him get away with it.

“Yeah, I do. But that's one of the joys of being freelance. I make my own hours. Besides, I can whip up something tonight. I prefer torturing you.”

“That's nice, I'm so glad we're friends.”

“I know.” Karen laughs.

\--

“How about this...” Karen says from the video screen on his laptop. He was in the middle of cooking dinner when Karen video called him, and he's now spent the last two hours listening to her read, edit, and re-read her article that's to go up tomorrow for the Bulletin.

Noah is sitting at the kitchen table, writing out the alphabet and Foggy's going back and forth between the two of them. Helping Noah with his R's so they don't look like K's or P's, and giving Karen input on her article. He's by no means as up-to-date and in the know when it comes to the city he lives in, not as much as he probably should be - he'll leave that to Karen – but he tries to help out, or if not, just listen to what she plans on publishing and letting her know if it held his attention, or if a sentence didn't make sense, things along those lines.

“...so the question we must ask ourselves, as the citizens of not only Hell's Kitchen, but as the people of New York City - are we going to take another year of being pushed around by those who deem themselves bigger than us? Or, are we going to side with a man who's ready to level the playing field?”

Foggy nods, allowing her words to move around his brain. “That sounds like something out of a movie.” he comments, as he moves to lean over Noah's shoulder, watching him draw a shaky but well done U. He squints when the two top sides are too close together looking almost like an O, but still a passable U.

“Why, does it sound fake? Is it too over the top? Should I delete it?”Karen asks in rapid succession, making Foggy laugh. She pouts at him. “This isn't the time for laughter.”

“No, it's the time to ask ourselves a very important question.” Foggy laughs before moving to sit in front of the camera so Karen can see him.

She points a finger at him.“Start making fun of me and I'll bring up you-know-who again.”

Foggy opens his mouth to protest but his cut off by Noah's excited yell of, “Harry Potter!?”

He and Karen share an amused look and he moves his gaze to Noah's wide eyed look of joy. “Yeah, buddy. Harry Potter. How about you finish up there and go play, all right? Auntie Karen and I need to talk about boring adult things.”

Noah makes a face at that. “Gross.” he says, and dives back into his work. Tongue peeking out as he write out his Zed and perfectly as he can manage. Once done, he lifts up his book to show his papa, and when he gets a thumbs up he slams his pencil down and closes his book before jumping out of the chair and running down the hall-way with an excited yell.

Foggy watches him go, a look of fondness softening his features. “Is it weird that I want to take pictures of his letters and send them to Marc?”

Karen laughs. “No, I don't think it is. What did you wanna talk about?” she asks.

Foggy sighs. “I just...and it's not your fault, I just don't want to talk about the coffee shop guy, especially in front of Noah. I mean, it's not even a thing at all and you know how excited he got when he thought Marci and Dave were super serious. I just don't want him getting excited over something only to be disappointed.”

“You're right. I'm sorry.” Karen says with an apologetic tone.

Foggy shakes his head. “It's not your fault, it's just how he is. I think he thinks adults are like his Pokemon, that he can collect them all.”

Karen gives him a smile. “Well, he'll just have to settle for the three of us. Four, if you count his teacher. How is she, by the way? He's been telling me about how awesome she is, but what do you think.”

“She's great, actually.” Foggy says, glad for the topic change. Noah's been in school for almost a month now and so far Miss. Temple -Claire, she insisted when she finally met both Foggy and Marci together- has been a godsend. She's kept her word about writing about Noah's day in his agenda. She makes sure he comes home with everything he needs as well as e-mails to the parents about the kids homework schedules at the beginning of each week. Noah has nothing but good things to say about her, and that the best part is that she smells like cookies.

He tells Karen all this.

“Ooo, are you worried he might be forming a crush on her?”

“Oh god, I hope not." He groans. "When I was in school, I had to take a language course and my teacher...”

\--

“Noah put your coat and boots on!” Foggy shouts from his room down the hallway. The response he gets is a high pitched laugh and a thud that tells him either something has been knocked over or his son just dove onto the floor again without remembering they have neighbours below them who like to complain about every little noise they make. And really, what's he suppose to do? Tell his four year old to sit still the entire time he's home all because they have thick poles up their asses? Like, be realistic.

“Mama is going to be here soon and you need to be ready to go!” he tries this time, and once again hears Noah thudding against the floor, but this time he knows it's him rushing down the hallway to get this things. He's really is a mama's boy through-and-through.

“Am I sleeping over?” Noah shouts and when Foggy yells back yes, he let's out a loud shriek of excitement.

When Foggy walks into the hallway, he finds Noah in his blue coat and Spiderman boots with his Avengers backpack on. He kneels in front of him and helps him zip up his coat and adjusts the Velcro on his boots a bit tighter.

“Papa, is it cold outside?”

Foggy nods as he stands and ruffles his sons curls. “Only a little bit, but we don't want you getting cold while you and Mama go on adventures, right?”

“Right!” Noah jumps “I want to go to the park and see the birdies!”

“Well, if you ask really nicely, I'm sure Mama will take you to see the birdies.”

Noah cheers and begins making loud bird noises, and doing his best impression of a what Foggy assumes is a chicken.

When there's a knock on the door, Noah jumps up and runs to the door, flinging it open despite Foggy's calls telling him he needs to check to see if it's safe first.

“Mama!” Noah yells and and runs into Marci's leg, hugging them tightly. Marci laughs and kneels down to get a better hug from her boy.

“Hello, handsome. Are you ready?”

“Yup! Papa help-ed with my coat and everything!”

“Oh wow, well say bye to Papa, okay?”

Noah turns around and run straight into Foggy with a hug ready for his legs.

“Be good for Momma, okay, buddy?” Foggy says as he bends down to place a kiss on Noah's head.

Noah nods before racing back to Marci and then running down the hallway to the elevator. Marci and Foggy share a small smile before he leans in and kisses her cheek. “He had a bath this morning.”

She nods. “So, any big plans for the evening now that you're free?”

Foggy shakes his head. “No, I'll probably watch a movie or something stupid like that.”

“Well make sure to call before bed-time.”

“Yes, Mom.”

And with a glare that has Foggy holding his hands up in surrender, Marci turns and heads down to meet their son at the elevator where he's waiting not-so-patiently to push the button.

\--

Foggy's aware of the fact that he's meant to spend at least half of his twenties in a bar getting smashed. Or, really, being anywhere and getting smashed.

He's been drunk exactly once and it was during a party thrown his first year of college. To say Marci was disappointed in him was an understatement. She lectured him about responsibility and that if anything were to happen he'd be the first called and needed to be coherent and respond to anything that may happen.

Sure, at the time he didn't want to hear that, and was upset about it and even angry with her for lecturing him and making him feel stupid. But he got it, and knew – just like with everything else – she was right.

Ever since then he's never found it something he wants to do. Sure, sometimes when Noah is sleeping and Marci is over, they have a glass of wine and talk about their son and life. And sometimes he and Karen grab a beer.

Which is what everyone else is doing Friday night, except him. Sometimes he thinks it should bother him. That he's cleaning up Transformers and Jedi's while not bothering to change to station off of PBS, while other kids his age are out partying and whatnot. Living the years of the big two-zero.

Which then hurl his thoughts into the direction of the man he met at the coffee shop – Matt. He knows he's getting hopelessly caught up in a stranger. That he can tell himself they met for a reason and work it all up in his head until he's managed to convince himself it was some act of faith bringing them together in the form of spilled coffee.

He knows better. Knows that he has to look at the situation that isn't really a situation at all, realistically. He hasn't seen the man since that day, not at the coffee shop or anywhere else he goes in the surrounding area. So they exchanged names? It was probably since the man was, you know, blind and needed something to put towards him other than the fact he's the klutz that make them spill their drinks.

What he really wants to know though, is how he managed to get so hung up on a person he knew for roughly five minutes. Sure, the guy had a cute face and a bright smile and an air of mystery that made him seem elusive as well as oddly trustworthy. Maybe that was it. Foggy knows himself well, he supposes, so he knows he's a hopeless romantic whose heartstrings tug at cliches.

So, it makes sense that he would find his thoughts drifting towards the stranger. He was every stories classic male lead, and Foggy was stupidly falling into his trap.

But then again, it doesn't matter now. It's been a month and he hasn't seen the man since. Maybe he should have been brave and asked for his number. But then again, is he really ready for a relationship? Would it even have come to that? Or would they have just been friends?

Foggy sighs and tells himself that maybe it's for the best. After all, he is a pastry chef with a four year old son he needs to watch out for. He has more important things to do than pine for a man who has probably already forgotten about him. Things like...watch Sesame Street and read Karen's latest article on the things happening in the city.

He doesn't last ten minutes before he's grabbing his keys, jacket, and wallet, and is running out the door.

 

He never thought grocery shopping alone would be a luxury. But walking down the isles without the persistent questions or Noah kicking the chart as he swings his legs in his seat; Foggy practically basks in the quiet.

The store is virtually dead as well. There are a few people mulling around. Picking up and looking at things with no hurry. Elderly people shuffling down and pushing their carts at a slow pace as they pick out instant coffee. It's nice and calm and exactly the kind of mindless task to distract him of his thoughts.

Can't think of cute blind strangers when he's too busy deciding what cereal to get Noah for the week. Honestly though, Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops? He knows Marci would prefer if he bought Brand Flakes or something that wasn't so sugary. But Foggy finds that a bit boring – though he does pick up a box. He isn't about to create a petty fight between them all because he finds healthy cereal Noah really should be eating, boring.

So, with one healthy and one not-so-healthy cereal choice in the basket, Foggy makes his way to the produce section. Noah still isn't keen on vegetables, and Marci does her damnedest to hide them in everything so at least he's getting some, but he's very enthusiastic about fruit. He loved the stuff, so Foggy always makes sure he has some in his lunch for school and enough at home to eat during the week. His favourite at the moment are pears and Foggy thinks it's because of the shape, so he grabs a few of those as well as oranges and apples.

As he reaches for what he decides is going to be the last apple he'll grab, rather than grabbing the thing, he bumps it with his finger and knocks it to the floor.

“Shit.” he says to himself as his eyes follow the apple as it rolls onto the floor away from him. He takes a step towards it when legs appear in his vision, a foot propping up to stop the fruit from rolling further.

“Oh.” he mouths when he looks up and sees the man who stopped his apple from rolling too far away, is the man from the coffee shop.

“I believe this is yours?” he says with a raised eyebrow as he scoops it up and holds it out for Foggy. Foggy looks around, but isn't sure why. He kind of wonders what if no one was here and the man was doing this with a fruit that fell all by itself...does he just assume someone's here?

“Uh, yeah.” Foggy takes the fruit from the man – Matt – his brain supplies and Foggy doesn't know what comes over him, but he feels his cheeks heat up and he takes a small step backwards. Right, because putting the centimetre of distance between them is going to magically stop the man from being devilishly handsome or stop his brain from reminding him of that fact.

“Thank you.” he says, rolling it in his hands, inspecting it for any bruises now that it's been beaten up. He probably won't buy the it now, but he's not about to tell Matt that, after all, he did save his fruit from rolling to the other side of the produce section.

“Anytime.” Matt says with his stupidly charming smile, and Foggy finds himself nodding, again unsure of how to end this interaction. Not that he really does, he just wants to end it before he says or does anything more stupid than he already has.

“You sound familiar.” Matt says with a tilt of his head. His eyebrows are scrunched together, but not like he's really thinking about it, just mildly curious and trying to place voice to a situation. Which just confirms Foggy's worries about the man not remembering who he was. Which is fine. It really is.

Foggy thinks about telling him 'Oh sorry, I just have one of those voices' because that doesn’t sound stupid and fucking weird, but he really doesn't think he can face the embarrassment of remembering a man he's seen once, a month ago, while the man has no idea who he is.

But since his mouth and brain aren't always on the same page, “Oh, we uh, I bumped into you about a month ago at the Social Bean. I spilled your coffee.”

Surprisingly, Matt's smile widens at that and when he taps his cane on the ground once he says, “Foggy, right?” his smile caressing the words as it stretches into a grin, making Foggy's heart jump.

“Yeah, that's me.” He's unable to keep the surprise out of his voice, feeling rather good about the fact that the man remembers his name. “Sorry about the apple. I'm a walking mess.”

“I don't mind.” Matt assures him. “I'm just glad I was here in time to save it.”

“Well, I'm sure it would appreciate it if it were real and wasn't just a piece of fruit.” Foggy thinks that he'll just scream into a pillow for a few hours when he gets home, because why on earth would he say that?

But Matt chuckles, and Foggy had forgotten how nice of a laugh he has. “True.”

There's a moment of silence, and Foggy isn't quiet sure what to do. So, before it can stretch on and embark on awkward territory, he says, “Well, it was nice seeing you again. I gotta go finish the shopping and I'm sure you do, too.” and when Matt nods his head, Foggy turns around to head out of the produce section and to where the meat is.

“Actually...” Matt says, falling into step with Foggy, much to his surprise. The mans cane tapping the floor between them. “Do you mind if I join you? I must admit I'm not use to the grocery store and would rather not spend hours trying to find the few things I need.”

Foggy wants to tell him that he's easily one of the most attractive people Foggy has ever met in his life, next to Marci and Karen of course, and that yes, he can so totally join Foggy in walking around grocery store for as long as he wants. But he settles with a, “Yeah, sure.”

Which must have been some kind of all encompassing permission for Matt, because before Foggy can even comprehend the man wanting to grocery shop with him, he's slipping in arm in Foggy's and squeezing gently.

“Is this okay?” Matt asks, almost too innocently if you were to ask Foggy, but Foggy doesn't say anything about it. Instead, he nods before mentally kicking himself and then says,“Yeah, it's perfectly fine.”

“Good.”

\--

He supposes there are better things to be doing at four a.m. on a Monday morning other than kneading dough and preparing the kitchen for the next few hours of baking it has ahead of it, you know, like sleeping. But Foggy wouldn't have it any other way – most days. He enjoys what he does. Likes making scones and little cakes and muffins and bagels for their regulars and the other people they'll service today. He didn't always show up this early, usually arriving around six to help out with whatever the head baker and owner – Rachael - needed him and the others to do. But she's got her sights on franchising the shop to another city and is working on slowly giving responsibility to him and the other workers. The others should be here soon, however, so he won't be alone for long.

He looks out into the workers break area just off the kitchen, and smiles when he sees Noah still sleeping. He had only woken up once from the daily move from his bed, to the car, to the couch in the shop.

At first Foggy felt bad about it, and he still does to an extent. But with Marci's job being more hectic and unpredictable in terms of hours than his, it made more sense for Noah to stay and go with Foggy to the shop every morning before his babysitter came and grabbed him for the day, and now, to take him to school in the mornings.

He had called Karen almost immediately after he had arrived home Friday night with the groceries, unsure if what had happened was actually real. But when he explained to her how they ran into each other again, and what he said and what Matt said and how he smiled and held his arm as they walked around the store with a light conversation between them, he decided it was very, very real.

And about how before they parted ways, Matt had asked for his number.

He swears he's a teenager again. Sixteen and trying to figure out how to ask out that pretty girl or kiss that boy with the killer cheekbones. Except with Matt he feels so out of his depth. Like he's walking into the water without a care that in a few steps he won't feel the ground and risks the chance of drowning.

He figures that feeling isn't exactly a good thing, but it's also the same way he felt about Noah when he was born. That he's finally done something he couldn't actually do, and would fail the most important job he's ever been given in his life. But now he's smarter and while it isn't always perfect – he knows.

With Matt, he knows exactly nothing, which is scary and terrifying and every other word just like those. He can't read minds, he has no idea what the other man is thinking, and sure, the man asked for his number with that smile that Foggy so knows he uses to get everything he wants in life with, that doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. He could be pulling his leg, or felt the need to ask out of obligation because they've ran into each other twice, and then spent some quality time walking around the supermarket.

Usually, when he becomes this worried over something, he'd call Marci and have her give him her painfully honest opinion on the matter. But he doesn't want to call her. Doesn't want to tell her about some dude he's met twice and has stupid butterflies over. He doesn't want her support and her advice, because he knows she'd tell him to go for it, even if it's just for one glorious night. And who knows what she'd do if she learned he had the mans number. She's probably text him something and leave Foggy to deal with it all. Things like 'hey let's get coffee.' or 'we should meet up' or something stupid like that. How is he suppose to deal with that?

And then just like always, his thoughts are brought back to Noah. Noah, who is so smart and loving and kindhearted that it makes Foggy's heart swell with love and pride. But he's also so young and accepting, giving everyone he meets a chance with such trust that it hurts sometimes. He can't just bring people into their lives and try to explain to his heartbroken son why they're no longer there once they decide to leave.

When he talked with Karen, they didn't have some in-depth talk about his feelings or what this could all entail if he does something about the fact he now has Matt's number. Instead, she let him gush about how cute he is with his nose and ears and about how his stupid grin lit a fire inside of him; about how it pathetically thrilled him to hold the mans arm for the hour they spent together. And she laughed and gushed with him, telling him how excited she was for him and how cute it all was.

But he doesn’t think he'll call. Yes, it's cute and fun and it's making him feel good, but there are too many factors that can turn this whole thing around.

He's not going to call.

\--

He's managed to go one week without really thinking about Matt, or the fact that his number is programed into his phone...and that's a lie.

If he wasn't thinking about the bakery or Noah, he was thinking about calling Matt. So much so that it felt like it was consuming his entire being.

He wasn't sure how to think about it. Part of him felt bad for not calling, another part of him thought maybe Matt should call since he's the one who asked for his number, and another part of him was absolutely petrified at the idea of the entire thing.

Which is why it's just his luck when his phone goes off during an evening Marci is over.

He picks up his phone assuming it's Karen or even Rachael, but when he sees the name Matt displayed at the top of his screen, he let's out a startled squeak and feels his heart jump into his throat.

“Who is it?” Marci asks from where she's sitting in the floor with Noah, an eyebrow raised in question and a look of slight concern on her face. He tries to feign like everything is all right, shooting her a quick smile and waving his hand absently before saying, “Oh no one, just...my Mom.”

The only thing the answer does is make her raised eyebrow crawl higher up her forehead. “That's bullshit, isn't it?”

Foggy blinks and shakes his head, frowning. “Uh, no. Why would you say that?”

“Because you're doing that thing with your face and voice when you lie.” she raises a hand and points at him, “One, I'm a walking, talking lie detector, and two, you have always been a shit liar, Foggy Nelson. So tell me, who's calling you.”

“No one.” he tries again, and this time she doesn't bother calling him out on his shit. Instead, she squints at him, face set in determination before she gets up off the floor, and walks over to him. No amount of him backing up can get him away fast enough, because before he can really blink, they're fighting and bickering over the phone.

“Marci, no, don't do that - it's mine!”

“Then stop acting like a child and tell me who's calling!”

“I don't have to!”

“You do when this person makes your face flush redder than it does in bed!”

“Marci, Noah is right there!”

“I don't care, just tell me who it is!” She let's out a shout of triumph when she gets the phone out of his hands. She tucks some of her hair that had fallen out of place behind an ear before looking down at the screen.

“Matt?” she gasps, her face splitting into a teasing smile. When Foggy goes to snatch the phone out of her hands, she let's him. “Ooo, who's Matt? Is he hot? Are you sleeping with him?” she lowers her voice with that last one and glances quickly at Noah who is playing on the floor, completely oblivious to the torture his mother is inflicting on his father. “Answer it!” she whispers loudly, like this is secret. And maybe it is.

“What, no!” Foggy whispers back.

“Yes!”

“No!”

She smacks his arm with the back of her hand and glares at him. “If that phone rings one more time he's gone and who knows if he'll call again.”

And she's right. God she's so right, he needs to stop hanging around woman who are always so fucking right. In a hurried flash and quick glare at Marci, he presses the answer button.

“Hello?” he says, praying his voice doesn't give away the last moment of his life. He swats at Marci when she presses right up against the other side of the phone, but she doesn't move.

“Hey, Foggy. It's Matt, from the coffee shop and the grocery store.”

He doesn't even have to turn to look at her expression to know that Marci is so going to mercilessly tease his ass once this phone call is over, and also kill him for not telling her about this Matt guy is from both the coffee shop and the grocery store.

“Right, hi, yeah, I remember.” Oo, real smooth, Nelson, he cringes internally. He can almost hear Marci thinking the same thing.

When Matt chuckles, Foggy thinks his legs might turn to jelly. “I'm glad you do. See, it's been a few days since we last spoke and since it's been because of you that we even met, I figured I should take matters into my own hands.”

Marci pulls back at that and he can feel her trying to glare a hole into the side of his head.

“Oh...well, I'm glad you called.” He has to hold back a noise of surprise when Marci smacks his arm. Now it's his turn to glare at her before they both press their ears against the phone, waiting for Matt to say something.

“I would say 'me too', but I need to ask you a question first, and your answer kind of dictates whether or not this phone call was a good idea.”

Foggy feels his heart still and anticipation fill his veins. “Yeah? Question? Go ahead.”

“How do you feel about dinner? Saturday night?” Matt asks, and Foggy can feel his brain forget how to make him to the thing called talking. And breathing, and living and everything else - he feels like he's dying, okay, in the best way possible.

“Oh! Uhh...” and he startles when Marci jumps away from him, waving her hands in front of her body and mouthing...no...? Oh! She's mouthing 'say yes, I'll take Noah Saturday.”

Foggy nods his head as he accepts Matt's invitation to dinner, a small, hopeful smile on his face, and he tries not to get too flustered when Marci switches to making obscene hand gestures at him while he finishes the call.

When he hangs up, he bites his bottom lip, fighting the wide smile that's trying to hard to break through, and holds his phone to his chest. He directs his gaze at Marci, and she's grinning at him with a look of complete mischief on her face.

“So, tell me all about this Matt.”

\--

Foggy has to admit it, he's really excited for the date, and by excited he means he feels like he's going to be sick to his stomach. It's like his excitement and nerves and fears regarding the date are playing that game where they all hold hands and then try and untangle themselves and form a perfect circle.

Except, just like most who attempt this game, they can't get untangled and in their efforts they just make it worse and everyone is frustrated and he's pretty sure his nerves are another rough tug away from crying - and holy shit he can't do this.

Sure, he's now had pep talks from both Marci and Karen – once he called her with the news. Both telling him he can do this and that he's a hell of a guy – or one hell of a lay according to Marci – and he has to admit that they did make him feel pretty confident about the situation. But that was over a day and a half ago and he's now back at square one with his emotions and doubts.

A tapping on his leg forces him to open his eyes and look up then down from where his head is resting against the wall as he sits on the couch. He looks down at Noah's face, a hand at his mouth and his eyes wide.  
“Are you sleeping?” he asks in a whisper, and when Foggy shakes his head he climbs into his lap and rests his head on Foggy's chest.

“What's up, bud? Are you all right? Tired?”

Noah shakes his head, but doesn't offer Foggy any indication of what he's feeling or if something is wrong. He just lays there against his chest, fingers in his mouth.

Foggy runs a hand through Noah's hair, the other resting on Noah's back protectively, making sure he doesn't move too much and risk falling. In reality, Noah is perfectly fine and safe where he is, but no matter what or where they are, these kind of instincts kick up and Foggy can't stop and doesn't even try to fight them.

They sit like that for awhile. Long enough for Noah to stop fidgeting every two seconds like kids do, and become dead weight in Foggy's lap.

\--

“What do people even wear on dates?” he yells out to no one in particular. Both Karen and Marci are here to help him get ready for his date tonight, and yet both are nowhere to be seen. They're probably playing with Noah or bonding over torturing him with giggles and ties as they drink wine in the kitchen.

“What are dates?” he continues on as he knots his tie in the mirror. “What do you do? Do you talk? Should I expect awkward pauses? Am I allowed to eat, or is that just for aesthetic purposes only?”

“Oh my god, you big baby, shut it.” Marci says harshly, as she walks into the room with a glass of wine in her hand and a few of Foggy's ties thrown over her shoulder. She stops behind him and levels him with a look through the mirror that tells him she heard everything he said, and finds him completely ridiculous.

He turns away from the mirror to face her. “I haven't been on a date in years, Marc. Like literal years. I don't know what I'm doing.” he admits feeling all to pathetic for life.

Marci huffs and he knows she's trying to be as sympathetic and understanding as she can possibly be without becoming sarcastic. He knows he's trying her patience, but he can't help but feel like this.

“It's going to be fine.” she assures him as she places her wine down on the dresser and turns him back around. He looks at her through the mirror while she brushes at his jacket. “It's just a date, and besides, he asked you out for dinner. Lord knows that's code for sex 'til dawn.”

Foggy sputters but that doesn't make her take her words back. Not like she could wipe them from his brain anyway. Now all evening he'll be thinking about is if Matt really does want to have sex with him. But then he figures after spending an hour or two with him, the man may not want to at all. That, or Matt's the kind of guy who doesn't put out the first date. Not that he expects him to, or would think any differently of him if he did, because he's a grown man and he can make his -

He startles when Marci slaps his chest. “I can hear you thinking, and you need to stop it. You're going to be fucking fine. It's dinner. You talk, fake laugh, make yourself sound interesting when you're actually boring as fuck, and hint that you like dick, okay? It's easy.”

“Wow. I really think you missed your true life calling. Marci Stahl: life coach.”

“I have a long life ahead of me. You never know what the future will bring.” she smirks. “Now, take off your tie. I know you said he's blind and what you wear won't matter to him, but it's all about making you feel like a million bucks, and I know the tie will make you feel too formal and therefore uncomfortable. Wouldn't you agree?”

Foggy opens his mouth to answer, but it's Karen that beats him to it. He looks past in mirror and sees her leaning against the door frame of his bedroom, her cheeks a rosy pink from the wine.

“First date, best to go more casual.”

Marci nods and collects his ties off of her shoulder before tossing them on his dresser, and he goes about un-knotting his tie. He turns his head when a hand is placed on his shoulder and sees Karen smiling at him.

“Tonight’s gonna be great, you know. And if not, then screw him, you can come home and we'll have a Saturday night to rival all other Saturday nights.”

“You mean get drunk while Noah watches the Lion King.”

Karen laughs, “See? Doesn't that sound amazing?”

\--

He's not late, and neither is Matt. There's no confusion on how to get to the restaurant, or with the reservations and they're seated together – both arriving within seconds of each other, and before Foggy knows what's going on it's an hour into this date and he's currently teasing Matt about a story he just shared, enjoying all to much the blush that paints across his cheeks and the way he wets his lips when he tries to play to cool.

It's not awkward or tense like he thought it would be as he made his way here, or for the first ten minutes as they made pleasantries and Matt ordered a bottle of wine for their table. This feels...natural. Matt is funny and surprisingly goofy, a completely opposite to who Foggy thought he was. But then who could blame him? The guy had his charm all the way up to ten every other meeting they've had. Now Foggy can't help but wonder if Marci was right.

“You have a beautiful laugh.” Matt says suddenly, his gaze more serious than it was not even a second ago, and it gives Foggy a slight pause.

“I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.” Matt says once the pause becomes a few seconds too long, an apology in his tone.

Foggy shakes his head. “Oh, no, you didn't! It's just not -”

“-Something people say?”

“No, I guess it isn't.” Foggy smiles, keeping his tone light.

“Well, I mean it. It's warm and inviting. I haven't laughed like this in a long time, but hearing you laugh...it makes me want to, too.”

Foggy feels his cheeks heat up and bit, and he bites his lower lip. “You're making me blush, just so you know.”

“Am I now?” Matt asks with a low, interested tone, and it sends another wave of heat all over Foggy's body.

He hums in the affirmative before reaching out and grabbing his glass and taking a sip. Things are going well. They're talking and flirting and it turns out you can eat while on a date and it not be weird at all. And Foggy is learning why the colour red is considered a seductive colour. Every single time his gaze catches red, he feels his heart skip a beat. He feels good, a little like a teenager, but then again he's only twenty-four.

He's allowed this.

Yet he can't help but think about Noah. He knows Noah is perfectly fine with Marci and Karen. That the boy probably hasn’t noticed he's gone now that he as the undivided, albeit tipsy, attention of his two favourite woman in the whole wide world.

He doesn't want to run the date short. Part of him wants to be selfish and pretend for just one night that he had no one waiting for him to come home and care for. That he didn't have bubble baths to give and stories of Franklin the turtle to read.

So, with a silent deep inhale, Foggy decided it's now or never.

“How do you feel about kids?” He asks.

When Matt raises an eyebrow at him, a look of surprise replacing the flirtatious look from before. He could almost smack himself. That was not the best way to go about things.

“I love kids.” Matt says, and then adds in a teasing tone, “But, don't you think it's a bit too soon to be asking about them? It's only the first date.”

Foggy shakes his head, and then tells Matt the action before saying, “No, um, I have a kid. I have a son at home. His name's Noah and he's four years-old. I wanted to tell you this before this goes any further.”

Matt just stares at him for a moment, and in that moment Foggy's pretty certain it's game over. He's probably made the man uncomfortable. Oh, or what if the man thinks he's like some jaded middle aged dad who's recently gone through a nasty divorce and is looking from some twink like dude to make

him feel young and whole despite the burning feeling of rage and despair that ignites his veins? What if -

“Like I said,” Matt says, interrupting his thoughts, “I love kids, and the fact that you have a son doesn't change the fact that I find you enthralling, and would very much like to take you home tonight.”

To say he's surprised is an understatement. At Matt's words he raises his eyebrows and finds himself without anything to say. Matt said everything in a low, levelled voice that hooked Foggy in the second he spoke. A tone that made Foggy want to lean in close and soak up his words with unwavering attention.

“Okay, can I say that I am relived to hear that...but I don't think 'enthralling' is the word I'd use to describe the person who almost spilt coffee on you.”

A slow grin takes over Matt's face, and Foggy isn't sure what it means for him, but it definitely means something. “Good thing we're different people, isn't it?”

 

Matt, Foggy learns, kisses like a starving man. Capturing Foggy's mouth with a hunger that nips and bites until his lips are red and swollen from the attention they're being given. Lips slide together, slick with spit as Matt's hands grope and tug at their clothing, not once breaking apart as they make their way through Matt's apartment, dropping their clothes without care as they make their way to the bedroom.

He also learns, that Matt is a patient man. The patience of a saint, Foggy had joked through clenched teeth and panting breathes, but all it gave him was a deeper thrust of finger and a sharp nip between his shoulder blades.

\--

He wonders why it's called the walk of shame. Who coined it that? Because, sure, sometimes those nights before are a mistake, or you wake up embarrassed and flee the persons place before they wake up and end up walking outside at six in the morning feeling dejected and a bit out of place in your own skin. He get's it, he's been there himself and knows it's no party.

But sometimes it's not. Sometimes, it's waking up to find the other person already awake and running their fingers along your cheeks and nose. Having them kiss you sleepily with morning breath and a dopey smile.

Leaving with the feeling of last night all over your body and revelling in the way it makes your skin tingle the entire way home.

He goes to slide his key into the lock, but the door is flung open revealing a wide grinning Karen and a smirking Marci behind her. And, since there's no point in denying it, he let's a smile creep onto his face, and lets an excited Karen pull him inside.

\--

When Karen finishes reading him her article that's to be published tomorrow, she looks at him expectantly.

“You really like this Daredevil guy, huh?” Foggy teases as he pours himself another cup of coffee before sitting down in front of his laptop where Karen is on screen.

She sneers before flipping him the middle finger. “Shut it. He's good for this city. I'd hate to think about all the shit that would have happened if he hadn't been here to stop it.”

Well, he can't argue with that. For the two years “Daredevil” has been in the city, Foggy has heard plenty about him. It's kind of hard not to hear of the man who one day started flipping the city on its head one crooked baddie at a time. Most of the time, he's heard about the Daredevil from Karen when she reads him her articles, or when he catches the new in the evening - though that's usually to just check the weather for the next day so he knows what to dress Noah in.

As far as Foggy can tell, the man is some sort of vigilante. Kind of like Batman, but without the cape or sidekick. Working outside the law while simultaneously working with it, and swearing a personal oath to protect the innocent citizens of Hell's Kitchen from the indecencies and unfairness that tends to plague the city in the form of power hungry corporate hot shots and greedy two-faced politicians.

“So,” Karen says, bringing his attention back, “what do you think?”

“As perfect as always, though I don't know why you ask for my opinion. I know next to nothing about this guy, or really care to be honest.”

Karen rolls her eyes and begins tapping away on her keyboard. “God forbid I ask my best friend for his opinion on things. How dare I.”

“That's not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean, huh?”

They fall into an easy banter for awhile before there's a lull in the conversation, which isn't a big deal at all. Karen is typing away at something, and Foggy is going over the rubric for the small project Noah is to do on an animal of his choice. He has to talk about where they come from and some facts about the place. What they eat and how they get it, etc...all those kinds of things. He has to admit, he's pretty excited to help Noah with it, but he promised Marci he'd wait until she came over to help as well.

“So, when do we get to meet him?” Karen asks, breaking the silence.

Foggy looks up with an eyebrow raised in question, he had hear her voice but not what she said. “Hm?”

“Meet. Matt. When?”

It's been two months since his and Matt's first date and the night they spent together. They've had a few more dates since and as far as Foggy's concerned, things are going pretty great. Foggy would like to see more of him, but sometimes things with Noah come up and automatically take priority or – now that he's learned Matt is also a lawyer – Matt's busy with a case. Apparently working for Tony Stark isn't always sunshine and rainbows. But it works out more times than not. He's never felt so giddy and childish talking to someone on the phone about his day and listening to Matt talk about lawyer things in a low and tired voice that makes him feel warm inside.

“Uh,” Foggy shrugs and shakes his head, “I have no clue.”

“Well, I want to meet him. It's been months.”

“Yeah, but we've only been on a handful of dates.”

“You've also fucked a handful of times,” She laughs as Foggy gawks at her. “Come on! I want to meet the guy who leaves Foggy Nelson a puddle of goo after every date.”

It's not that Foggy doesn't want Matt to meet Karen. He honestly thinks they'd hit it off really well. Which is very much a good thing and a comforting thought since Karen's opinion and approval means a lot to him. But, if Matt meets Karen, the next step would be for him to meet Noah, which worries him very much.

Because what if Noah doesn't take to him? It would be a no-brainer. He'd have to break up with Matt. No man is worth it if his son doesn't like him, or worse, hates him altogether. It doesn't matter how Matt makes him feel, he'd have to break it off all for the sake of his sons happiness.

Sure, he could be a selfish bastard, but Matt meeting Noah is inevitable. And what kind of father would he be if he kept someone Noah didn't like around?

“Why?” he asks, suspicious, “So you can embarrass me with stories?”

“Well, yeah.” Karen says, as if there could be any other reason.

Soon they say their goodbyes. Foggy having to get up in a few hours for the bakery and Karen needing to add the finishing touches to her article, as well as start one up about the Roxon Oil and Rockwell Industries thing that Foggy again, as no real clue about let alone enough energy to even care about.

He checks on Noah before heading to bed, finding the boy buried under Avenger covers and hugging his Hulk plush, sound asleep.

\--

The sky will never be completely clear of the clouds of pollution that drift across it each night. But, sometimes there are breaks in the blanket of grey, showing New York what its sky could be. There aren't many stars, and he's sure he'd never be able to point out a constellation any time soon, but he supposes that it doesn't really matter. It's not like his current company could see it and share the moment with him in that way. He then thinks that he could describe it, but he also thinks he wouldn't be able to do it justice anyway.

It's late in the evening. People are still out and about, going and getting to where they need to be.

They had gone for a walk, Matt wanting to get away from work for a little while and Foggy having nothing to do for the evening since Noah is spending dinner at a friends house. His first play date that

Foggy almost stayed for, but decided to go and let him have this independence, even if it's freaking him out more than he lets on. He's now walking Matt home so he can finish his work, and so he can get to the Carter's and pick up Noah on time.

They had walked around, no destination in mind, and talked. It's been a few months and Foggy still feels that pressure, the one that says he has to be interesting and lively to keep Matt interested. But they click the same way he and Karen do. It makes his mind and gut rest a bit easier knowing that if being in a romantic relationship wasn't their mutual goal, then they could have easily tackled friendship together. The thought makes Foggy feel good inside.

But what he's about to do – ask – doesn't.

“I don't want to put you on the spot or anything and you can totally say no, but” Foggy says after taking in a deep breath, trying to get it all out before he chickens out, “Karen wants to meet you.”

“Just Karen?” Matt asks, turning his head and raising an eyebrow, and Foggy knows he's silently asking about Marci. He's talked about her a fair amount. Matt knows she's Noah's mother and one of Foggy's closest friends. Foggy doesn't really know how Matt feels about her, but then again, that doesn't matter that much.

Foggy nods. “Just Karen. I wouldn't sick both of them on you, don't worry.” When Matt huffs out a laugh, Foggy adds, “And I think you and Karen will get along great. She's cool.”

“What does she do again? I know you mentioned it, but...”

“Oh! She's a writer. Like articles and journals and things like that.”

“What does she write about?”

“Oh, anything and everything. She's freelance, but usually works with the Bulletin. Writes a lot about that Daredevil guy more times than not.”

Matt's interest visibly peeks at that, but Foggy knows he's downplaying it with a simple nod. “Oh, interesting. Good things? Bad things?”

“Always good. I think she's his number one fan, actually. I'm waiting to see how long it'll take before she makes t-shirts.”

Matt laughs, throwing his head back. When he calms down a bit, he asks, “What about you?”

Foggy raises an eyebrow. “Me?”

Matt nods. “How do you feel about the Daredevil?”

Foggy shrugs, tells Matt that, and then says, “Not really sure. I don't have anything against him, but I don't share the same enthusiasm about him that Karen and others do. Indifferent, I guess.”

Matt nods, and Foggy raises an eyebrow when Matt doesn't say anything for a moment. But then he turns his head towards him and says, “That's fair.”

“Why? Are you a fan as well? Will you guys meeting spark the very first annual get-together of the Daredevil Fan Club?” Foggy teases in an attempt to lighten the mood that has, for some reason, dropped in the last couple of minutes. He can feel it in the air, on his skin and in his heart, but can't figure out why or where it went wrong. Or, maybe it hasn't and he's making it all up because he's still a bit paranoid?

“No, I don't think it will.” Matt says with a smile, “But, I wouldn't turn down a discussion if one presented itself.”

Well, Foggy hopes one doesn't. There's a huge difference between Karen talking about the man for work purposes, and her going off an a full blown rant on the guy. He's been there, he's opened those gates and let her talk for hours about the guy and while it is his duty to listen to her talk, no matter the subject, he doesn't think he could take another -

Wait.

“Wait,” Foggy says, surprised. “Are you saying yes? You'll meet Karen?”

“I think Karen is...the easiest one of the three I'm bound to meet.” He squeezes Foggy's arm where his hand is and adds, “So, yes. I'm saying yes.”

\--

“Hey, buddy!” Foggy laughs when he gets an armful of Noah. Small arms wrapping around his neck and excited shrieks in his ear as his son wastes no time in telling him about his day at school. After a few minutes of excited babble Foggy will decipher later, he sends Noah to get his things.

He and Claire talk for a few minutes, more about Noah than anything else, and it's while he's talking that he notices how tired Claire looks. Dark circles under eyes and the way her polite smile seems forced. She looks frazzled but trying so hard to look like there is nothing wrong.

She looks like she could use a week long nap.

“Do you still want me to write about his day?” Claire asks with a raised eyebrow, and Foggy nods.

“Yes, please, if it's no trouble.”

“I wouldn't have offered if it was.” she says with a polite smile.

Foggy knows it's not his place or any of his business for that matter, but he can't help but feel like there might be something wrong. So he says, “Don't take this the wrong way, or tell me to screw off if I'm crossing the line, but... you look wrecked.”

Her smile falters for a quick second, and before Foggy can gauge the emotion that flits across her face, she's smiling at him again. Though this time, it's more open and honest. She really does look tired.

“Just one of those weeks.” she offers, and Foggy nods, taking the hint that she isn't gong to share, at least not with him of all people. And why would she? The extent of their relationship, and while he's positive she's an awesome person to know on a personal level, revolves around his son and the five minutes they see each every once in a blue moon when it isn't Noah's babysitter or Marci picking him up.

“Ah, gotcha.” he says, and they say their goodbyes before he and Noah leave.

\--

There's a corner store not even a five minute walk from his apartment and they desperately need milk for in the morning. The last time they didn't have milk for Saturday morning cereal and coffee, he was pretty sure the apartment was about to blow up from sheer disappointment.

So, he heads out, leaving Noah with Karen to watch the Bubble Guppies so he can go get some.

Everything is fine, but it's as he's leaving the store, milk in hand, when he's suddenly taken over by a feeling that tells him to be cautious. He starts walking faster, unsure as to why he's feeling this way, but he isn't about to take any chances.

He's only a block away from his apartment when he hears a loud crash. He looks up and watches with wide eyes as two people fall from a window. It takes only a few seconds for them to hit the ground, but from where he's standing on the sidewalk, it feels like forever. Watching as they hold onto each other,

glass falling with them and hitting the ground before their bodies hit the cement with a thud that makes him wince. He hears their groans as the one rolls off of the other, and he wonders if the one on the bottom broke something.

They move around and it soon becomes clear both are unaffected by the fall and are fighting quite

vigorously. One trying to get the upper hand on the other. Punches and kicks and hitting in the back of heads with elbows. But then one is able to get up and there's no mistaking that suit. Red and black with horns on top of the mans head. He stands over the man who also tries to get up, but the Daredevil stops him by grabbing him and holding him down.

Foggy watches, stuck in place by shock and fear, as the Daredevil delivers a blow to the mans head and the man crumples to the ground, unmoving. The Daredevil then stands, and Foggy can see that he's not as unaffected as he first thought. His breathing is fast, if the rapid rise and fall of his chest and shoulders is anything to go by, and he stumbles a bit where he stands, waving back and forth as if all he wants to do is to fall on the ground and not get up for awhile.

Foggy watches, unable to look away. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knows that he should go, that he really should have minutes ago while this was going on, but he finds he can't get himself to.

His heart jumps into his throat when the Daredevil's head snaps in his direction, and they stand there like the for a moment. Foggy, with his heart beating out of control and the Daredevil standing there just watching. But then the man moves towards him, and Foggy looks around, asking himself why the fuck he didn't leave when he had the chance to.

“Are you all right?” Daredevil asks him when he gets closer and Foggy has no idea what to do or say, his voice is rough and gravely – very Batman of him.

“Hi.” he says dumbly. He knows that sounds incredibly stupid, but it's all he's got.

The Daredevil's mouth forms an 'o', as if a bit surprised by than answer. But then he nods, like the man isn't too sure what to do with him but knows he has to do something. “That's not what people usually say if they see me, you know.”

“Really? It seems like the perfect word to describe the feeling. 'Hi' is the equivalent of saying 'holy shit, what the fuck, I don't know what to say and I think I might have peed a little.'”

The Daredevil's mouth slowing transforms into an amused grin, and Foggy would be a embarrassed if he wasn't too busy feeling every other emotion he has to offer himself.

“Are you all right?” The man asks again, and Foggy takes it upon himself to actually answer this time.

“Yeah, I'm not the one who fell out of a fifth story window. Are you okay?” he asks, because he kind of wants to know how the man is standing after that, plus getting the crap beaten out of him. He has a split lip and red patches on his cheek and chin that are totally going to be bruises by morning. Not to mention the other probable injuries on him that Foggy can't see because of the uniform.

The Daredevil gives him a smile instead of an answer, and it causes Foggy to frown. “How about we get you home, all right?” The man holds out his arm, and Foggy takes it.

He wonders who it's meant to benefit.

 

He's weighted the pros and cons of telling someone about that night. He knows if he told Karen she'd most likely believe him and hound him with questions about the man, but Foggy finds that he doesn't want to talk about it.

The man had been polite and courteous and made sure Foggy got home safe and sound like he promised, before disappearing into the night.

In reality, there was nothing to talk about, so, he decided it was better if he didn't talk about it at all.

\--

“So, when do I get to meet him? After Noah, I'm assuming? Meet the scary ex last?” Marci says as she starts putting away some of the groceries, not looking over at Foggy as he does the same. He told her about how Matt and Karen are going to meet soon, hoping she'd understand why she wasn't invited.

“Before, actually. And we were never really dating, you're not an ex.”

Marci raises an eyebrow at him, and Foggy knows she's surprised at hearing that. Instead of commenting she says, “Yes, but we're an ex-something. I'm sure he's thrilled that I'm very much present in your life.”

Foggy rolls his eyes. “Oh come on, Marc. You're one of my closest friends and the mother of our son. And I want you to meet Matt before Noah because I value your opinion, and if you meet Matt and decided you don't want him around Noah...well then...” He falters at that. Because it would hurt if Marci met Matt and did decide he wasn't someone she'd trust around Noah. He knows she's never say it to hurt Foggy, or lie about it just to be a little shit. She was many things, but that wasn't one of them...most of the time.

“You know you're not suppose to care what I think, right?” She says and Foggy turns to look at her only to find her already pinning him with a look. One that says she's touched but won't admit it.

“If we didn't have a son, I wouldn't. But we do, so.”

Marci sighs. “I'm sure I'll like him, Foggy. Of course, I'll make sure he's in constant question about my feelings towards him, but I'm sure I'll like him.”

Foggy smiles. “I expect nothing less.”

“Fucker.” Marci says not-so-quietly under her breath, and they continue putting the food away while Noah plays in the living room.

\--

He had been nervous, though looking at them now he has no idea why. He's also never seen Matt drunk in the months they've been dating, but there he was. Flush red and lips even redder as he and Karen talk with their heads close other, smiles on their faces. Karen is looking at Matt with wide, intense eyes that tell him she's really into the story he's telling, or it's because this is her sixth drink - and she doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon – and it's starting to get to her.

She's biting on the straw she's sipping out of and her cheeks are just as red as Matt's. She's listening to him talk intently and Foggy has a suspicious feeling they're trading horror stores about him, but he finds he doesn't mind that much. Mostly because he has no idea what they're saying. So, as long as he stays blissfully ignorant, he shouldn’t die of embarrassment anytime soon.

He knows he should be sitting with them. He should also be drinking with them, but someone has to make sure they both make it home alive and make it through the night without alcohol poisoning.

He should have known Matt could hammer them back with the best of them.

But he's content to watch them. He was right, they got along great after those first few minutes of introduction that Matt was stiff through, but then drinks were ordered and shot back and soon he and Karen were talking like friends who went way back.

He smiles when Karen looks up and waves enthusiastically at him. She says something to Matt, causing him to turn towards Foggy's general direction, waving as well.

Foggy gives them their wave and Karen starts clapping with a wide smile on her face. She then waves him over, which he declines, and she pouts and raises her glass, shaking it back and forth as if to entice him over with fruity alcohol and a paper umbrella.

Eventually he gives in and joins them, and when Matt's face finds its way into the curve where his neck and shoulder meets, he turns to place a kiss on top of his head, which Karen coos at.

He frowns when he notices a fading bruise on Matt's cheek, and when he goes to ask about it, he's distracted by a hand that's wandering up his thigh.

\--

His favourite kisses are the ones where Matt smiles into them. His glasses off, his hair a mess, and his lips plump and red from the mount of attention they're getting. But he smiles. His eyes crinkling at the edges and his fingers flex into Foggy's hips. It's contagious, and soon they're both laughing into the kiss that can't really be described as a kiss anymore. It's more like pursed lips gently ghosting over each other as they try to reign in their laughter and amusement.

Now, don't get him wrong. He loves slick and heated kisses that can only lead to one thing. Slow and sensual kisses that make his toes curl and the heat in his stomach boil with anticipation. Chaste kisses they share in the morning or when they meet up for a date.

Maybe he just loves kissing Matt in general. But when they kiss and Matt smiles...It makes him feel good.

Their laughter forces them to break away, and Foggy rests his head on Matt's shoulder. Matt's arms wrap around his back and pulls him closer, as if he isn't already straddling the man, and beings rubbing circles into his back as their laughter dies down and the moment turns into something quiet and intimate.

And it's during this moment, with his face buried in the curve of Matt's neck, he sees the cut. Small but red and sitting just under Matt's ear, barely covered by his hair.

He could have written it off as nothing. An accident. But when he thinks back to the bruise he saw a couple weeks ago at the bar, it makes him feel inexplicably uneasy.

\--

It's only two months later when Matt meets Marci. It wasn't planned. They weren't suppose to meet this way, but Marci was late coming to get Noah and Matt was on time for their date and Foggy forgot to tell him about the new scheduling conflict until it was too late.

So that's how they met. With Marci and Noah heading out and Matt about to knock.

The door swings open and Foggy watches with near horror when he finds Matt standing there, now face to face with Marci. She stops, looking at the man with confusion – Noah isn't fazed at all and walks past Matt to go push the elevator button – and Matt seems to know it isn't him standing there. He visibly tenses, his expression that of barely contained surprise as he looks as if he's trying not to fidget.

Marci looks back at Foggy with an eyebrow raised in question, and he glares back at her, tilting his head to the side and mouthing “Matt” at her. When an expression of understanding dawns her face and a slow grin steals her lips, Foggy knows the message has been received and that they are both extremely fucked.

She turns her head back to Matt and Foggy steals himself for whatever it is she's about to say

“So, you're the Matt Foggy's been telling me about.” Marci drawls once she makes the connection herself. She doesn't say anything after Matt gives her verbal confirmation, obviously letting him sit in his discomfort before she leans in and stage whispers, “He's great in bed, isn't he?”

When Matt turns red and sputters for an answer, Marci laughs, pats his shoulder as he walks past him and says, “Have fun.”

When she disappears down the hallway, Foggy rushes over and grabs Matt gently by the elbow and leads him in, closing the door behind them.

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry I completely forgot to tell you! I swear I didn't mean for this to happen -” He's stopped when Matt reaches out and grabs his tie, pulling him forward into a kiss. When Matt pulls back, he's breathing heavily and Foggy's pretty sure it's not because of the kiss.

“I feel like I got the Queens approval.” he says between pecks on the lips, much to Foggy's delight.

He doesn't want to burst the mans bubble, but feels like he should mention this before Matt gets too high on the small victory. “You know she's going to want to meet you again. Like properly meet you, right?”

Matt gives him a blinding smile before capturing his mouth once again. “Bring it.”

 

They properly meet about a week later, neither of them seeing any reason to delay it any longer now that they've sort-of met already.

They don't buddy it up like he and Karen did. Neither seem to be making any attempt to become each others best friend, but they do talk. The scene they make though, reminds Foggy more of a 'meeting the parents' type situation. Matt is pretty tense throughout the whole thing and Marci is very much aware of how much power she holds here. But, she doesn't abuse it and manages to get a few genuine sounding laughs out of the man.

They seem to come to an agreement, an understanding, and it's enough for Foggy.

\--

“So everything went all right, then?” Karen says as they take their seats. It's Friday evening, Noah's gone with Marci and they're taking advantage of the fact neither have anything pressing to do this evening by being boring and getting coffee like fucking adults do.

“About as well as it could have. They'll never be friends, but I think they can be civil.”

Karen raises her eyebrows, a knowing look in her eyes as she nods her head. She takes the lid off her cup and blows on the top, steam billowing out. “Did she tell him anything embarrassing?”

“No, I'm pretty sure that was your game. Hers was exerting power and establishing dominance. It was oddly like sitting in a room with two lions.” he says, remembering how tense the majority of the meeting was. It wasn't entirely unpleasant. They did talk, and laugh. But Foggy's pretty sure it was more for his sake than anything. It was like a reality show; fake smiles all around while he sits there trying to maintain peace by offering food.

“Well, she is protective of you, in her own weird way. Has been for as long as I've known you both.”

Foggy nods, “You're right, and it could have easily been worse. So, I guess I should be grateful things went like they did.”

He startles when he feels a hand rest on top of his. He looks up to see Karen looking at him with concern.

“Are you okay? You just zoned out for a while there.”

Foggy mentally curses himself for that. He hadn't even realized he did it.

“Has Matt been, I don't know...weird lately?” he says tentatively, not sure of how to bring up what's bothering him.

Karen frowns, her brows furrow together before she shakes her head. “Not that I can tell, no, why?”

Foggy sighs. “I don't know.”

Karen raises an eyebrow. “No, what, come on, what's bothering you?”

He purses his lips together before biting down on them, wondering if he should bring up the marks and the bruises and the cuts and the all around no good things he's been finding on Matt. If he should mention the make-up and the creams he found when looking for a new tube of tooth paste one morning or the frankly unnecessarily large first-aid kit hidden in the hall closet when he went looking for an umbrella.

Which, okay, those things are fine, whatever. Matt walks into things and needs a band-aid and some peroxide sometimes, and who gives a shit if he wears concealer. He's done it on days he's had really dark bags under his eyes, Marci even taught him the proper way to apply all that crap. So, those things don't bother him much. It's the bruises that are so bad they're almost black. Cuts that look so deep they have to be painful, and the white scars that are all over his body that make Foggy worry.

But he has to talk about it, needs to get if off his chest and tell someone before he confronts Matt in an explosive manner.

He takes in a deep breath. “I've been finding bruises and cuts on Matt, and not the 'oops I accidentally walked into something' kind.”

Karen frowns for a moment, the look in her eyes telling him she isn't quite sure what he's talking about. She raises an eyebrow and after a moment, she says, “Like fighting type bruises and cuts?”

“Yes, exactly! I'm worried. What if Matt is in something shady? Like fight club or the mafia? What if he's part of a gang? I mean, he doesn't have tattoos so I don't -”  
Karen holds up her hands. “Whoa, slow your roll there, Fog. I'm sure it's nothing bad and that there's a perfectly good explication. Which you would have if you just talked to him about it.”

Foggy squints at her, not really appreciating the silent dig in her last remark. “Karen, the bruises are the size of my hand and the cuts are stitch worthy, Like twenty.”

She shrugs. “Well, you said his father was a boxer, right?” he nods. “And sometimes he goes to the ring to practice. Maybe he's trying it out for himself in an attempt to feel closer to him.”

“No offense, but he's blind. Who's gonna willing fight a blind man and then sleep soundly at night?”

“Ask the right person and you can get almost anything done.”

Foggy rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “I don't even wanna know.” he takes a sip of his coffee. “I'm just worried you know? What if he is in something shady though?”

Karen huffs out a breath and Foggy knows she's done with him. “Look, you're nervous. Introducing Matt to Noah is a big step and a big deal. Maybe you're looking for a way to back out in case things go wrong – which they won't!” she adds quickly at the look on his face.

Maybe she's right. Foggy is planning on asking Matt if he wants to meet Noah soon and the thought of it makes him feel hopeful and sick simultaneously. He knows Matt's looking forward to meeting Noah – he's told him many times after he met Marci, and he has no doubt that he would be amazing with Noah. But the real worry, is if Noah will take to Matt. If he'll like him and want to play action figures with him. If he'll talk to Matt and show him his room and all of his Avenger things.

But these cuts and bruises. He can't help but think they might scare Noah. Sure, the boy has gotten his fair share while playing outside, but those scrapes are nothing compared to the those that are Matt's.

And maybe he is being paranoid and maybe he should really talk to Matt about it before his imagination gets too out of hand, because really? Matt in the mafia? Okay.

Foggy sighs. “You're right, I'll talk to him.”

“Good, because I don't want the lack of communication to ruin your relationship.”

\--

Matt is a cuddler. He latches on all limbs and warmth as he nuzzles into the crook of Foggy's neck, burrowing his body between him and the back of the couch. He blinks lazily, and Foggy knows he's on the cusp of sleep. He also knows that the ways he's playing with Matt's hair isn't helping any. Between the touches and the warmth they've created, it's the perfect place to catch some sleep.

Foggy is sleepy as well, he can feel it fogging up his brain and leaving him in a state between being consciousness and unconsciousness. Sure, his arm is a few minutes away from going completely numb, but it's pleasant and nice and he wants nothing more than to fall asleep right here. 

But, unfortunately, his brain is still going. It's been a few weeks since he told Karen about his worries of seeing Matt with all those bruise and cuts, and he hasn't brought it up since. Not to her, or to Matt. He knows that in realty, he's just avoiding it plain and simple. He doesn't want to cause a confrontation or a fight, but he also doesn't know how to bring it up casually and without letting on how worried he actually is.

“Hey, are you okay?” Foggy asks once he determines that he can't put this conversation off any longer, because he knows if he does, he'll just worry and come to conclusions on his own and find some way to mess things up because of it.

Matt hums and shifts his body a bit letting out a noise in the back of his throat as he does so. He tilts his head, his eyes trained in the general direction of where Foggy's face is.

“Yeah,” he says, and the word is quiet, “why?”

Foggy takes in a silent deep breath, but figures Matt probably feels it since the man is half on top of him.

“I've been, uh, finding cut and bruises on you, and I wanna know if you're all right.”

Matt nods and nuzzles his face against Foggy's chest. “Yeah, I'm all right.”

“Nothing going on at work or something?” he asks, trying for a non-accusatory tone. He isn't implying that Mr. Stark would have Matt in any danger – not intentionally anyway - but working for the Avengers can't always be easy or very pleasant.

“Foggy, I'm fine.” Matt insists, and Foggy's about to tell him he's not really convinced when Matt continues, “Really, your concern is touching but it's nothing to worry about. I bruise easily, always have, and I'm prone to cuts. It comes with the territory.”

Foggy nods and licks his lips, half in thought. He does feel a bit silly about being worried, though even now that he has an explanation from Matt...he doesn't feel...like it's the truth. It's an odd feeling in the back of his mind and it stretches to his heart and stomach.

But, he doesn't want to talk about it anymore, and instead places a kiss in Matt's hair.

“What are you doing next weekend?” he asks, changing the subject. Since he braved that talk, even if it didn't give him much, he may as well brave this one, too.

“I'm not too sure yet, why?”

“Well, if you're free I was thinking you could come over and hang out with Noah and I.” He leaves the invitation out in the open and waits for a response with anticipation swirling in his stomach. He's pretty sure Matt knows that he doesn't have to accept, but he doesn't want to affect his answer by telling him that and therefore making him feel inclined to accept.

“I would love to.”

\--

He thought that the days leading up to their first date were bad, or that things would never be as stressful as when Matt met Marci. Yet, here he is, nervous and worried and anxious and trying not to wear a track line into the floor where he walks back and forth as he waits for Matt to arrive.

All week long he's felt like he was going to burst into flames at any moment, and he almost cancelled once, but was talked out of it by Marci.

He really needs to find a friend who will let him do things and isn't always so frustratingly right about everything.

He stop pacing and watches Noah from where he's standing in the hallway. His weekend homework consisting of letter writing and phonics is completed and put away in his bag, and the living room as been turned into his own little Jedi Temple. His action figures are everywhere, and Foggy has told him several times to keep it tidy, but all that gets him is a absent nod and lightsabre noises.

He's pretty sure his palms are sweating, and he grimaces and rubs them on his thighs. He feels like he should be this nervous, but he can't help it. His stomach is in knots, he think he might throw up or pass out, though he's not one hundred percent positive on the order.

When there's a knock on the door, he yells that he'll get it so Noah doesn't come running out of the living room, giving him and Matt a moment alone.

“Hey,” he breathes out when he opens the door and sees Matt standing there. He's dressed casually today, jeans and a sweater and it makes Foggy smile, but he doesn't say anything about how cute he looks out of his usual suits.

“Hi,” Matt replies as he steps into the apartment. Foggy closes and locks the door behind him before stepping up beside him.

“You ready?” he asks. To himself or Matt, he isn't too sure. Probably both.

His own words remind him of after Noah was born, and they were in the hospital and he watched Marci hold him for the first time. How overwhelming it all was, how his heart felt like it was stuck in his throat permanently, and how he felt like running for the hills he was so scared.

And then Marci looked at him with tears in her eyes, sweat sticking her hair and gown to her body, yet she smiled with such a bright happiness that it felt like a physical blow to the heart. She looked at him and breathed out, “Hold your son.”

Matt lets out a stuttered breath next to him. “I think so.”

Foggy bites down on his lower lip and nods his head. They stand in silence for a few seconds before Foggy lets out a quiet sigh, and slips his hand into Matt's, squeezing it gently. Matt turns his head toward Foggy and gives him a tight smile, one Foggy assumes is because of nerves.

“It's gonna be fine.” he assures, and Matt nods at him and licks his lips.

“Is he in there?” Matt asks, pointing straight ahead where the living room is.

Foggy nods, “Yeah.”

Matt nods and tilts his head down before raising it again. “Okay.”

They walk to the living room, grabbing Noah's attention as they pass through the doorway. He looks up and does a double take when he sees his dad isn't alone, and he looks back and forth between the man and his dad.

Foggy waves him over, and Noah drops his action figures to the ground before jumping up and making his way over. He stops in front of both men, and stares more at Matt than Foggy.

With a deep breath in, Foggy looks between Matt and Noah. “Noah, this is Matt, my friend.”

“Hi,” Noah says with a wave. Normally, with people he knows, he's more enthusiastic, but right now he's muted and quiet.

“Hi Noah.” Matt says with a smile, and Foggy watches as Matt's grip on his cane tightens, his knuckles white. But Matt kneels down on the ground his hand slipping out of Foggy's. “It's nice to meet you.”

Noah looks up at Foggy, his fingers finding their way into his mouth, and Foggy gives him an encouraging smile and nods.

“I like your glasses.” he says, pointing a little too close to Matt's face, “They're red, like Spiderman.”

Matt gives him a toothy-smile, the one that Foggy knows makes his eyes crinkle at the corners, “Thank you, Noah.

“Would you like to see my Jedi's?” Noah asks and Foggy opens his mouth, ready to explain again to Noah that Matt is blind and can't see, when Matt smiles wide and nods his head eagerly, Noah smiling in response. He holds out his hand and Foggy watches as Noah grabs it without hesitation, and leads Matt into the centre of the room. They situate themselves on the floor, Noah watching Matt, eyes flickering between his face and cane, and Foggy knows he wants to ask questions, but isn't sure if he can.

Foggy isn't too sure what to do with himself, but he knows he wants to sit back and watch them interact and play. It's nerve wracking, sitting in the background and giving them their privacy. Occasionally, Noah will look in his direction and smile, wave, and then turn back to Matt. It warms his heart, even if it's still beating out of control.

 

“Like the Hulk!” Noah shrieks hours later from his position on the couch. Eventually, his questions got the best of him and he ended up asking Matt why he was blind about an hour into his visit. Foggy wasn't sure how Matt would take the very blunt question, but Matt was as patient as a saint, much to Foggy's amusement, and answered every question Noah asked. He even let him hold the cane.

Then, Noah asked how he become blind, and when he did, Matt went quiet for a little while. Foggy had interjected then, saying that he didn't have to answer that one. Really he was curious himself, all he knew was that it was caused by an accident in his youth. Other than the occasional hints, Matt didn't talk about it and Foggy didn't push. He didn't want Matt to feel obligated to tell just because he was asked by a curious little boy.

Maybe there will be a day when Matt doesn't shock or surprise him, but today isn't that day. Matt told Noah the story, though from listening Foggy could tell it was more of a spark notes version than a proper recollection, which was fine. It wasn't like Matt had to be completely upfront about what happened, and it isn't like Noah will know the difference.

“Do you have superpowers?” Noah asks, looking up at Matt with wonder from where he's tucked into the mans side, his Black Widow figure held tight to his chest.

“I don't know yet. Maybe.” he says, and Noah launches into a giant explanation about how the Hulk got his powers, and how if he turns green he needs to call the Avengers immediately.

 

Since they had a guest over and since Noah had taken to Matt so quickly, he was allowed to stay up late. Around nine, Matt announced that he had to go and was met with disappointment from Noah, who didn't want his new - and possibly super-powered - friend to leave. Foggy smiles as he watches Matt explain to him why he has to leave and he's pretty certain Matt broke his Avengers-loving son when he dropped the name 'Mr. Stark' in his explanation, the boys eyes becoming comically wide and set unwavering on Matt with unconcealed awe.

“I'll call you a cab.” Foggy says, and he stands up and gets his cell out of his back pocket.

“Foggy,” Matt chuckles, turning his head toward him, “I'll be fine.”

“Like hell, it's late and dark out and it won't kill you to take a cab home - and don't repeat that word.” he levels a look at Noah, and the boy nods. He dials for the cab company and walks into the hallway.

“You worry too much.” Matt says from behind him, and he turns to see Matt leaning against the door-frame.

“Duh, you're no good to me dead.”

Matt huffs out a laugh, smiling wide. “You say the sweetest things.”

The line picks up and Foggy leaves all the necessary information with the lady on the phone before hanging up.

“Should be here in ten.” he says, hitting the phone against the palm of his hand once.

Matt nods. “You really didn't need to do that. I would have been fine.”

Foggy tilts his head to the side and raises an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. He tells Matt this and then says, “Matthew, you're taking a cab home, end of story.”

When Matt doesn't say anything back, Foggy frowns. “Are you all right?”

Matt tilts his head to the side and takes a step forward into Foggy's personal space. Not that Foggy was complaining, because he isn't, but when a sly grin slowly takes over Matt's face he knows it means exactly what he thinks it means.

“I really wish Noah wasn't in the other room right now.”

“And why's that?” Foggy asks, with a quick glance at the doorway to the living room and he hears Noah talking to his action figures.

Matt completes the last step between them and reaches out to rest a palm on Foggy's chest. He gently presses him back until his back makes contact with the wall and Matt slides his body along Foggy's, their noses touching.

“Because I want to make you say my name over and over again until it's the only word you know.”

They stay standing like that for a few seconds, allowing the air around them to charge with electricity and anticipation to build inside them, and then Foggy tilts his head and leans forward to gently ghost his lips over Matt's, and Matt's reaction is instantaneous.

The kisses they exchange are definitely not ones they should be exchanging when Noah is just around the corner from where they're swapping spit like two teenagers. He feels a bit guilty and the thought is in the corner of his mind, but when Matt bites down and pulls out his lower lip before letting it go with a wet smack, and then dives back in with a groan in the back of his throat, well, who can blame him for not caring for a minute or two?

Or ten.

 

Once Matt left, Noah was sent to bed. Foggy received the usually complaining and pouts as they picked up his toys, and Noah dragged out brushing his teeth and changing into his pyjamas, but eventually he found himself tucked in bed, his Hulk plush in arms and two stories told to him.

“All right, time to go to sleep. Did you have a good time tonight?”

Noah nods at him, and hides a big yawn behind his plush, and Foggy smiles at him, running a hand through his curls before placing a kiss on his forehead.

“That's good. And you liked Matt?”

Noah nods. “He's a superhero.”

“That he is.” Foggy laughs. He isn't sure if it's a good thing to encourage Noah's thinking of Matt as a superhero, though it's also not a bad thing. Noah could think worse things of Matt, and the way Matt lit up whenever Noah called him one was almost too adorable. So it's worth letting Noah pretend.

Noah yawns again, his blinks becoming longer and and more frequent and Foggy smiles at his failing attempts of keeping his eyes open.

“Papa, do you love him?” comes Noah's sleepy question a few seconds later, and Foggy isn't prepared for it. It hits him in every corner of his being, and he feels a coolness rise down his back as heat burns his neck and cheeks.

He knows for sure that he already loves Matt like he loves Karen and Marci, that love is there, but he's never stopped long enough to give himself time to think about if he's in love with Matt.

Not really wanting to have this conversation with his son, especially since he needs to think about it, and now that Noah has said something it's definitely going to be on the forefront of his mind for the rest of forever, Foggy gives him a fond smile and pulls his blankets up and over his shoulders and says, “Goodnight, buddy.”

\--

“Well do you?”

“I don't know!” Foggy says for what must be the millionth time since he and Karen started talking. He's not even sure why he bothered video calling her, they both should be asleep. But, he couldn't sleep, Noah's question running around his mind made it impossible to do.

Karen huffs at him, not even bothering to hide her annoyance as she rolls her eyes and then pins him with a stare that tells him if she were actually there with him, she'd smack him.

“Look, I'm not trying to pressure you into an answer you don't actually want to give, but come on! Foggy, we started this conversation almost two hours ago and all you keeping saying is 'I don't know'!”

“Because I don't.”

“Then maybe you should sleep on it because I'm two-seconds away from disconnecting.”

“How could you even say that? I am in need of someone to listen to my confused bitching, okay? And as my BFF you're automatically the one to do it.”

“While that may be true, as your “BFF” I can also tell you when you're being fucking ridiculous. So what of you don't know if you love Matt. You haven't even been dating for a year yet, there's no rush.”

“I know, but Noah brought it up and now it's all I seem to think about.”

Karen tilts her head to side, her shoulders sagging as she lets out a loud sigh.

“Don't think about it – which I know, easier said then done,” she adds when Foggy glares at her, “but you'll only cause awkward tension between the two of you if you walk around with this internal struggle. He's gonna wanna know why you're acting weird, and then you're not gonna want to tell him because you're unsure, and then next thing you both know it's awkward and uncomfortable all the time, and then just plain unpleasant. Like I said, don't think about it, you have a lot of time to figure it out.”

“Wow,” Foggy says once she's done talking, looking at her with mock awe, “you're so wise.”

She scrunches up her nose and flips him the bird, “Oh, fuck you,” and the screen turns black.

\--

Matt's a busy man. Foggy knows this and he knows that working for a man like Tony Stark means Matt has a lot of shit to deal with simply because the man is who he is. And besides, this isn't unusual. Sometimes, Matt just gets so busy that he has no time to reply to his texts or calls, he does it, too. So, really, he thinks he's just being paranoid for no reason.

Except it's been almost two weeks, and he's heard nothing from the man.

But then he tells himself that they don't have to talk every week. But then he thinks about how Matt met Noah, and then dropped off the planet, and it's making Foggy really anxious.

He hates the internal struggle. He hates understanding that it could be work and that Matt is holed up somewhere in the Avengers tower, working non-stop like some kind of rat on a wheel, and that when Matt actually gets a time to himself, the man probably spends it sleeping.

But then the other part of him doesn’t understand what's so hard about shooting off a text letting Foggy know that he's alive and that he still likes the idea of touching Foggy's butt. Why he can't call, even if it's just for a moment or two to fill Foggy in on the obviously super important things going on, so that he doesn't have to sit here and wallow in his self-doubt and self-pity.

It's a vicious cycle, and he tries to get advice from Karen, but her words of 'be patient' and 'sometimes life happens, don't take it personally' and 'I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for all this' were just too much for Foggy's wallowing party to handle. So, he ignores her helpful advice and opts for staring at his phone every chance he gets.

He feels properly pathetic.

He looks out at the scene in front of him, Marci playing with Noah, doing different voices for each

action figures while Noah makes explosion noises. He watches as they laugh and as Marci smiles the smile she only ever gives Noah, bright and happy and all teeth as she watches him with shining eyes.

He doesn't realize his own smile has slipped off his face, or that he's zoned out when he feels someone plop down next to him. He looks over and Marci is looking back at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

“You look like crap.” she says and Foggy nods, not really sure what to say to that.

When he doesn't offering anything she rolls her eyes and smacks his arm with the back of her hand lightly. “God, are you all right, like Christ, Foggy.”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” he really doesn't want to have this conversation again. He's honestly a bit tired of this whole situation and just want to decompose emotionally in peace.

“That's crap.”

“I know.”

“Why are you lying?”

“I don't want to talk about.”

“Does it have to do with Matt?” she asks, and something must show on his face because she makes a noise of understanding.

“You know I could have him taken care of.” She gestures a bit with her hands when Foggy turns to look at her with a raises eyebrow. He isn't too sure what she's trying to tell him, but she eventually says, “I'm not above harming blind people.” when it's clear the gestures aren't getting her point across.

It's a horrible thing to say. Honestly and truly, but it does make him feel better, even if Marci calls him a 'fucking bitch ass pussy' after he tells her the situation when Noah is tucked away in bed an hour later.

\--

Foggy doesn't know why he hesitates before knocking on Matt's door, but he does. Maybe the reason Matt hasn’t returned any of his texts or calls is because he was trying to send Foggy a message. He knows it would be more like Matt to break-up with him to his face, but he also knows that breaking up with someone is awkward and messy and pretty unpleasant. So maybe Matt decided to take the easier way out.

Well, if that's the case then he's going to have to suck it up and tell Foggy to his face because he's here and he's not leaving until he gets an explanation. He knocks.

There's no response.

He knocks again and listens intently for any sound that may come inside the apartment. But there is none. As far as Foggy can tell, it's dead silent. He presses an ear to the door and listens again, only to come to the same conclusion.

So he does the only thing he can think to do, he gets his phone out and calls Karen. She picks up after

the second ring, and he doesn't let her get a word out before he say hurriedly, “I'm at his door and he's not answering and I don't know what to do.”

“His as in Matt's?”

“No, the fucking Presidents - of course it's Matt's! Where else would I be?”

“Fuck, calm down. If he's not answering maybe he's at work still.”

Foggy checks his watch and then rolls his eyes. “At eleven at night?”

“He's a defence lawyer for Tony Stark, and by default, the Avengers. He's a busy guy - ”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, and that I can't possibly expect him to be available twenty-four-seven. But I'm sorry, how hard is it to return a text?”

Karen is silent for a few seconds before saying,“I think you're taking his silence too personally.”

That makes Foggy's blood boil. “Well, how else am I suppose to take it? I introduced him to my son and then he falls off the face of the earth. If he wanted to break up with me he should tell me, not ignore me.”

As the words come out and he's realizes what he's saying, he feels a wave of panic wash over him. What if Matt does want to break-up? What if once he met Noah it became very clear that he was in a relationship with a man who already has a son? What if he's not ready for kids in his life?

“You think he wants to break up with you?” Karen asks, her tone lighter then it was a few seconds ago, careful.

Foggy sighs, and feels his anger dissolve into sadness and defeat. “It's not like it's surprising.” he says quietly. He leans against the door and picks at a piece of wood sticking out of the door-frame.

“Foggy...” Karen says, her voice sympathetic, “I'm sure it's nothing like that. You're just paranoid and when Mr. Stark finally let's Matt free, he'll tell you that himself.”

He fall quiet, unsure of what else to say. Karen stays on the line with him though, not saying a word as he he just takes in the dead silence in the hallway and the nothing coming from Matt's apartment. He should go home.

“Are you okay?” Karen asks a few minutes later, and he knows she knows he's not, but needs to ask.

“I will be, I guess.” he sighs out and after another moment of silence, he let's her go.

He turns so his back is pressed against the door, and slides down until he's sitting on the floor, his knees drawn to his chest and he hugs them there with his arms.

He really needs to go home. What if Karen is right and Matt's at work and he comes home to find Foggy sitting on his doorstep.? How does he explain that?

He wonders if this is considered harassment. It's not like he's blowing up Matt's phone with calls and texts. A few here or there, asking if Matt's all right and how his day's been, nothing over the top or out of line. He's thought about leaving Matt angry voice mails, speaking his mind, but then figured all it would do is make things worse. Plus, he'd feel like an asshole after so there's that.

He has no idea how much time passes as he sits and stews on Matt's doorstep, not much, he thinks as he decides he really needs to go home, and stands up to go.

Then an unexplainable feeling of dread curls around his heart and stabs at his gut, and all he can think as his brow furrows is that he needs to get inside. He turns to face the door, looking at it like it's going to do something creepy, like ooze blood or grow a mouth and talk to him, or open by itself.

He tries door, despite the fact that he tells himself it's locked; it is. He bangs his hands on the door, unsure as to why he's doing this exactly, but just feels the need to. Then he takes a few steps back, turns so his shoulder is out, and runs at the door.

The first time, nothing happens. The second, he hears the door crack under the pressure. Two more hits and several shoots of pain up shoulder, the door opens and he almost falls from the momentum he built up. When he catches his footing he forces himself to be still, to listen. But all he can hear is nothing over the sound of his breathing.

So he takes a few cautious steps forward, looking around as he does so. He's been here many times over the past several months, but he has never felt like such a stranger.

Unsure and feeling oddly cold, Foggy makes it to the living room before he's hit with a strong wave of panic and fear.

In the middle of the floor is the Daredevil, easily recognizable from the red leather of his suit.

Foggy approaches with cation, pretty much ready to bolt at the first sign of anything. But he has to see if the man is all right and if he needs to call for help.

Before he gets too close, he looks around the room and sees one of Matt's canes leaning against the wall. He grabs it, holds it out, and then pokes the man in the waist a few times.

When he doesn't move, Foggy feels himself panic more. He takes those last steps and kneels next to the man, hovering over him. He puts the cane down and reaches out.

He has to know why the man is lying in the middle of Matt's living room. Why he's in Matt's apartment.

He knows the reason why, deep down in his gut and mind. But that doesn't stop him from being shocked to the core at seeing Matt's face when he unmasks the man.

“Matt?” he whispers, unsure of how to handle the surge of emotions attacking him. He puts the mask down and reaches out to stroke a bloodied cheek with a careful hand.

He nearly jumps out of his skin when a hand grabs his wrist, and when he looks back at Matt's face from the hand that grabbed him, he sees that his eyes are open and a look of pure pain in etched on his face. His back arches and a loud moan escapes his lips and it pulls at Foggy's heart.

He might also throw up.

“Matt, you're going to be okay,” he says as reassuringly as he can, though he isn't sure if he's telling the truth or not. His suit is ripped and torn. There are cuts and bruises wherever skin is showing and Foggy as no idea how deep they are or how much blood he's lost. “I need to call an ambulance.”

The hand on his wrist tightens, gripping Foggy with a strength he's pretty sure the man shouldn't possess when he looks minutes away from death.

“No.” Matt gasps out, his other arm reaching out for something on the side of him.

“There isn't room for argument, Matthew.” Foggy says as he digs into his pocket for his phone.

“No...call Cl-Claire.”

“Who? Claire? How is this Claire going to help, you're dying you need a hospital!”

“Call her.” Matt gets out, and when Foggy looks where Matt is reaching out he sees the mans phone just out of arms reach. He takes in a deep breath and goes against what common sense is screaming at him.

 

When he had opened the door, he wasn't expecting Miss Temple to be on the other side. Then again, he wouldn't be surprised at all if he had paid more attention to their conversation on the phone. But it was short and quick and he couldn't hear much over the sound of his blood rushing through his ears.

He watches her, feeling numb and out of it as she checks over Matt, and feels the reality of the situation crash over him.

Matt is the Daredevil. Matt is a vigilante. Matt gets into fights and gets his ass kicked every damn night. That the Daredevil is the man he let inside his home, near his son, with h-

“Hey.”

He looks over to find Claire staring at him. There is sympathy in her eyes as well as a look he's never seen before.

“I know you'd rather be anywhere else.” Foggy almost snorts. That's a bit of an understatement. “Trust me, this isn't how I like spending my Saturday nights either. But since you're here, you automatically get to play nurse, all right? So, I need you to put whatever shit's going through your head away, and help me.”

So he does. He helps get Matt onto the couch, helps her shed him of his uniform. Holds whatever she needs him to, gets her whatever she needs, listens to her intently because any wrong move could cause Matt more pain. He watches her stitch him up with a practices ease and learns how to properly clean wounds and bandage arms. He listens to her talk. About Matt, how she found him. How she was a nurse. How she loves teaching.

“All we can do now is wait for him to wake up.” Claire says as she takes off her gloves.

Foggy nods and he tries to look anywhere that isn't Matt, but finds it a bit difficult. His eyes are automatically drawn to the man lying unconscious on the couch, looking like he's been through hell and back. So, he settles for Claire, and watches as she starts cleaning up the mess they made patching Matt up.

“So...you teach my son and play night nurse for hornboy over here. How's that?” He asks when she walks into the kitchen to dispose of the bloodied washcloths and bandage wrappers.

“The pay's shitty, hours suck, and I don't get vacation days.” she calls out, “All-in-all, it's not the worst job I've had. And besides, someone has to make sure he doesn't die inside a dumpster.”

Foggy cracks a smile at that and huffs out a laugh through his nose. His mind feels like it's going a thousand miles an hour all while staying perfectly still. He feels dizzy and tired but knows that if he tried to sleep, his brain would keep him awake.

“Thank you.” Foggy says, after a moment, unsure of how to get across how unbelievably grateful he is for this woman. He looks up at her when she walks back into the living room, hands on her hips. “For making sure he doesn't die in a dumpster.”

She looks at him for a moment, her face is set and unfazed, but he knows underneath she's as affected by this as he is, that no matter how many times she patches him up she worries and panics every time – this being no exception.

“Well, he is my friend.” she says with a shrug. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help him?”

\--

When Matt wakes up, they fight, and Foggy walks out without so much as a backwards glance.

 

Now it's his turn to ignore Matt's calls and texts and he wonders how long it'll take before the man shows up at his door.

\--

Out of this whole shit-show, the one thing Foggy wasn't expecting was the friendship of Claire Temple. He expected weird things happening at night, being followed by muscular men in leather, and maybe having to go into witness protection – why, he has no idea, but it makes some odd sense to him- but not the friendship of his sons school teacher. Sure, they totally bonded somewhere between her showing him how to properly and effectively stitch a man up while said man moans in what can only be described as agony, and them sitting in dead silence once their adrenaline crashed. But, he can honestly he wasn't expecting to walk away from all that and gain a friend. With the fight he and Matt had, he just assumed his and Claire's relationship would strictly revolve around his son, like it always had. Not for her to call and suggest they get coffee and talk.

Foggy thinks she reached out because she finally has someone she can talk about Matt with – or Daredevil, he should say. That she no longer has to carry his secret alone. But Claire is too chill to be bursting at the seams with someone's baggage, eager to tell. He knows she just dealt with it, carried it around with her like it was just another thing to solider through.

She tells him about Matt and how he's doing, that he's getting better and stronger and is just as stubborn as ever. Going out and getting into trouble before he's properly healed. Hearing that scared him, but according to Claire, it's normal behaviour and though he doesn't tell her, it hurts to hear that. Though, she probably already knows.

Part of him wants to barge into Matt's apartment and hold him down until he's better, and then talk him out of going out and getting himself beaten half to death. But part of him is still angry and he tries to tell himself that he doesn't care.

But it's not always about Matt. Sometimes they go out just the two of them, and they walk around Hell's Kitchen with the intimate knowledge of what's lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. Sometimes it's with Karen, after he introduced the two, and they laugh and look at the stars that peak through the pollution and marvel at how beautiful the city can be.

Sometimes they go dancing and Karen does her damnedest to get Claire drunk off her ass.

Sometimes it's okay.

\--

Almost two months go by when he finds himself in front of Daredevil. Foggy just happened upon him on the walk home, he has no idea what the man's doing here or why he's here. He doesn't ask either.

It feels oddly chilling to see him standing in front of him now, the way his body is tense and his stance is strong.

Foggy opens his mouth to speak several times, but finds himself without something to say. He isn't sure if there is anything, but he has to say something. He can't take standing here in silence, not when he knows that Matt is there, underneath all that leather.

“What you do is dangerous and I can't bring that around my son.” Is what eventually comes out, and he winces internally at how harsh it sounds. Yes, he's angry, but he's also overcome with other emotions that he's surprised that one is the most prominent in his voice.

Matt takes a few steps forward, hands in front of him as he walks, as if Foggy is some kind of skittish animal. He licks his lips and says, “You and Noah have never been in any danger, Foggy, trust me when I -”

“Trust you? Who knows what kind of enemies you've made as Daredevil!” Foggy's voice rises, “Probably smart, resourceful enemies who don't take to kindly to being kicked around by a guy in leather. All it would take is someone following you home, or using a tracking device and boom.”

The feeling in his gut is horrible. He feels like he's going to puke and cry and maybe pass out. But he needs to say this. Noah is his priority and while he knows it may be a long time before he finds someone like Matt again, it's a risk he has to take no matter how hard it is. He pauses for a second, and when he speaks again, he can hear the tears threatening to spill over, in his voice.

“Matt Murdock may be safe, but Daredevil isn't and sadly they're one in the same.”

Matt's silent for a moment before he asks in a quiet voice that hurts to hear, “Are you breaking up with me?”

Foggy fights the feeling in his stomach, the voice in his head telling him that Matt makes him happy, and ignores the tears that fall to his cheek. “I don't want to -”

“But you have to.” Matt finishes.

“I have to think about Noah, here, Matt. This goes beyond just you and me.”

“I know. I just wish I weren't so selfish.” Matt says after a moment, before turning and going, leaving Foggy to watch him go.

\--

Ever since Noah had been born, silence was something golden. He loved hearing his son playing, his shrieks of laughter as he watched television, and the action noises he made while playing Jedi's with Karen or Marci. But, just like every parent, nothing could beat the sharp silence of a sleeping, or gone-to-someones-house, child. He use to use those silences to breath, to think, to unwind. He would close his eyes and allow himself to fall into a state of sleep where he wasn't asleep, but he also wasn't overly aware of the world around him.

Now, he can't deal with the quiet. He doesn't like the way to feels like too much, wrapping around his skin and fogging up his head.

So, when Noah is gone and he has no plans for the night, he doesn’t stay home more times than not. He

needs to feel busy. Even if it's to just go for a walk around the block. Tonight, though, he thinks he just wants to torture himself.

Why he chose the coffee shop, he doesn’t know, but does at the same time and doesn't want to admit it to himself. Part of him wants to see Matt again, they haven't contacted each other since that night and while Foggy knows he made the right choice in breaking things off...well... Matt isn't the only one who's selfish.

But, he also knows how rude this is. That he is the one who broke it off and coming to the first place they met in hopes of seeing him is like rubbing salt into their wounds.

And what would he do if he did see Matt, other than feel awkward and weird and unwelcome in a public place? He wouldn't even say anything, wouldn't try to get his attention, but now that he knows who Matt really is, he figures he wouldn’t even have to.

“Is this seat taken?” A voice asks, getting Foggy out of his head. He looks up, the word 'yes' on his lips – not wanting to deal with anyone right now - when it falls dead. All he can do is stare at the man in front of him as his heart picks up and he flushes.

After a moment, a moment spent looking at the mans face, he remembers he was asked a question and he awkwardly sputters through his answer. “Uh, no, no, not at all, you can sit here.”

Matt smiles thinly at him, and slides into the booth opposite of him.

It's quiet between them for a while, Foggy sneaking glances at Matt while the man runs a finger over the rim of his coffee cup.

“How did you know I was over here?” he asks, despite possibly knowing the answer.

“Heartbeat.” Matt says and Foggy feels himself grow a bit uncomfortable. Okay...so maybe he didn't possibly know the answer. “I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry.” Matt adds after a few seconds of silence.

“No it's fine.” He waves it off, though the knowledge that Matt can hear his heartbeat leaves him feeling uneasy.

“No, it's not, Foggy.”

“Matt - ”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's in the past.” It isn't really, but he's trying to go for calm, casual, cool. Like it's not eating away at him every second of everyday.

“No, it's not. We need to talk about it properly.”

“We did.”

Matt leans forward. “Us.” he says, emphasizing the word and gesturing between the two of them, “Not Daredevil.”

“You're the same person, Matt.” Foggy whispers, feeling weird about the man's secret identity being brought up in such a public place as their voices get louder and louder. He's pretty sure Matt doesn't want to pull a Tony Stark.

Matt sits back and runs a hand over his mouth. “Maybe,” he says, “but that doesn't mean we can't work.”

Foggy has to stop himself from rolling his eyes as he feels a wave of annoyance wash over him.“I told you, this goes beyond you and me. I have Noah to think about.”

“Do you honestly believe I'm not thinking about him as well?”

“It's not your responsibility to think about him. I'm his father.”

“And I want to be in his life.”

Foggy has many things to say to that, but finds he can't get anything out. Things like how it isn't that simple. This this isn't something that can be magically fixed because he knows Matt will never give up being Daredevil, and when they argued after Matt woke up, Foggy learned that this figure is a part of Matt. Two different people in one person, and asking that of him would be like asking him to rip himself apart.

And then Matt is holding out a hand and after a moment of hesitation, Foggy slips his hand into the offered palm. Matt's thumb rubs back and forth across his knuckles, and Foggy tightens his hold, squeezing the mans hand without thinking.

“Foggy, please. What can I do to make it right?”

\--

“...and I said that I needed time.”

Karen nods, but the look on her face doesn't go away. The look of barely concealed confusion that masks her features, leaving her brow furrowed and a small frown on her lips as she takes a sip of her drink – tea, Foggy thinks it is. He wasn't really paying attention while they ordered.

“So, did you guys break up? Are you just on a break or...?”

Foggy shrugs halfheartedly, “I honestly have no idea what we are, where we are, anything.”

She nods again, and the conversation falls into a lull. He settles for watching people pass by the coffee shop window while Karen does something on her phone. It's not awkward or uncomfortable, but the air between them is weird, and he knows it's his fault. He's sad and upset and isn't giving much information on the Matt situation, and Karen has no idea what to say to help. So that leaves them at small talk and silence.

He can feel her eyes on him, but he doesn't acknowledge it, just continues to look at nothing in particular. Then Karen lets out a loud sigh, and he turns to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

They stare at each other for a while, before she tilts her head and pins him with the question, “Do you still wanna be with him?”

When she puts it that way, it really does seem like it's that simple.

\--

It's Monday after school, and Foggy makes his way to Claire’s classroom. When he gets there, he and Noah go through the motions of Noah talking about his day before Foggy sends him into the hallway to get this things.

“He's a mess, you know.” Claire says as her greeting, and she doesn't have to say his name for Foggy to know who they're talking about. Then, she tilts her head from side to side as if thinking about something, weighing it in her mind. She rolls her eyes and then says, “More so than usual.”

Foggy opens his mouth to say something, but when nothing comes out, he just shakes his head.

“Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything, I just thought you should know. He's getting more reckless.”

“What's he doing?”

Claire raises an eyebrow at him. “Do you even watch the news?” she asks, crossing her arms over her body and levelling him with a look.

Foggy shrugs. “No, not really.”

Claire nods, sighing. “Well, maybe that's a good thing.”

“You're not going to tell me, are you.” And he wants to know, because now he's worried. He wonders how bad it is and why he hasn't heard anything from Karen about the Daredevil's reckless behaviour.

Claire shakes her head before pointing to the door. “Noah has one page of...”

 

Noah falls asleep on his chest after an action packed evening of homework, action figures, and cookie making. There's a smudge of chocolate on the boys cheek and some on his clothes that Foggy really needs to get stain remover on before the shirt is ruined and Marci rings him out.

But he doesn't want to wake him. He's too content where he is, enjoying the closeness and the quiet of the evening.

He tries to not let his mind wander, but it does, and he thinks about Matt, about Noah.

How Noah looked at Matt with wide, excited eyes as they played on the floor and how patient Matt was with answering all of Noah's questions. How cute he looked tucked into Matt's arm as they talked about superpowers. How Noah held Matt's hand and walked him to the door and then gave him a kiss on the cheek once he got the man to bend down to his level. About how much Noah misses his new super-powered friend and wants him to come back because his glasses were really cool and he was nice.

He presses a kiss to Noah's curls.

\--

Matt's door swings open before Foggy even completes the staircase, and when he looks to see Matt leaning out the doorway, he realizes that this crosses off the option of standing outside the mans door for an hour and worrying if this was a good idea before chickening out and going home.

He wonder briefly if Matt was just about to leave, but he isn't wearing a suit, just a t-shirt and track pants and ridiculous socks. He doesn't even have his glasses on and the way his hair sticks up like it does after he wakes up from sleeping warms Foggy's heart.

“Foggy?” he calls out, and it makes Foggy bite his lower lip before taking in a deep breath.

“Yeah, it's me.” he says as he finishes the distance from the stairs to Matt's door step.

Matt smiles, but it's gone before it's really there, and he asks with hope in his voice, “What are you doing here?”

“I need to tell you something.”

“Oh, would you like to come in then?” he offers, moving back to create space for Foggy to walk past, and as tempting as it is, he can't. He needs to say this here and now, and can't let himself be distracted or wait any longer.

“I'm worried, and I'm scared...but I'm willing to try.”

It takes a few seconds for Matt to understand, but when he gets it, realization dawns on his face, as well as a smile that could melt Foggy's insides if it shone any brighter.

“Really?” he asks, and Foggy huffs out a laugh, feeling oddly embarrassed.

He's very worried, and very scared and he isn't too sure that he's making the right choice. That something is going to happen because of this decision. Whether it's good or bad, or even both, he doesn't know, but he really wants to be here. Wants to be with Matt, wants Matt in his life and Noah's.

“Yeah.”

Matt bites his lower lip, but it does nothing to tone down his smile.

“Will you come in now?”

Foggy doesn't have to be asked again.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I certainly hope you enjoyed this, and I hope 2016 is treating you all well so far. Back to our regular scheduled gore-fest at some point, I don't really know. 
> 
> This got really long and editing is so boring. So, if there are mistakes you'll just have accept them into your hearts, for friends, I am done
> 
> Not beta read.
> 
> http://waynesgrayson.tumblr.com/


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